THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


a> 


Captain  John  Smith. 


LIFE    IN    OLD 


VIRG 


A  DESCRIPTION  of  VIRGINIA, 
MORE  PARTICULARLY  THE 
TIDEWATER  SECTION,  NAR- 
RATING MANY  INCIDENTS 
RELATING  TO  THE  MANNERS 
AND  CUSTOMS  of  OLD  VIRGINIA 
SO  FAST  DISAPPEARING  AS  A 
RESULT  of  THE  WAR  BETWEEN 
THE  STATES,  TOGETHER  WITH 
MANY  HUMOROUS  STORIES 


ILLUSTRATED 


BY 


james  j.  Mcdonald 

Formerly  State  Senator  from  the  36th  Senatorial 
District  of  Virginia 


EDITF.D  BY 

J.  A.  C.  Chandler 


The  Old  Virginia  Publishing  Co.  (Inc.  ),  Norfolk,  Va. 

M  C  M  V  I  I 


Copyright  1907 

By 

The  Old  Virginia  Publishing  Company  (inc.) 


22" 

r\  w  <*s 

FOREWORD 


When  I  am  old  and  feeble, 

And  cannot  work  any  more, 

Then  carry  me  back   to   Old  Virginia, 

To  Old  Virginia's  shore. 

This  sentiment  doubtless  was  most  forcibly  expressed  in 
the  year  1907,  during  which  there  was  witnessed  an  interna- 
tional celebration  of  the  first  permanent  settlement  of  the 
English  speaking  people  upon  the  American  continent. 

In  aid  of  this  event  the  Congress  of  the  United  States 
passed  an  Act  approved  March  3,  1905,  entitled  "An  Act  to 
provide  for  celebrating  the  birth  of  the  American  Xation,  the 
first  permanent  settlement  of  English  speaking  people  on  the 
Western  hemisphere,  by  the  holding  of  an  international  naval, 
marine  and  military  celebration  in  the  vicinity  of  Jamestown 
in  the  waters  of  Hampton  Roads,  in  the  State  of  Virginia,  to 
provide  for  the  suitable  and  permanent  Commemoration  of 
said  event  and  to  authorize  an  appropriation  in  aid  thereof 
and  for  other  purposes." 

The  Act  authorized  the  President  of  the  United  States  to 
make  public  proclamation  of  this  celebration,  "inviting 
foreign  nations  to  participate  by  the  sending  of  their  naval 
and  such  representatives  of  their  military  organizations  as 
may  be  proper." 

The  proclamation  fixed  the  time  of  the  beginning  of  the 
celebration  on  May  13,  and  ending  not  later  than  November 
1,  1907. 

The  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  give  a  brief  history  of  the 
efforts  of  the  English  to  establish  permanent  settlements  in 
Virginia,  and  to  follow  with  interesting  stories  of  the  life  and 
custom-:  of  the   people  inhabiting  particularly  thai   part  of 

f  iiil 

550118 


IV  FOREWORD 

Old  Virginia,  known  as  the  "  Tidewater "  section  where 
American  civilization  began  its  first  struggles  for  existence 
amid  the  forests  of  a  new  world  whose  only  occupants  then 
were  wild  beasts  and  savage  men. 

It  was  the  fortune  of  the  writer  to  pass  more  than  twenty- 
five  years  of  his  life  in  Eastern  Virginia,  beginning  at  the 
close  of  that  great  struggle — the  War  between  the  States — 
when  there  yet  existed  many  of  the  customs  and  manners  in- 
herited from  the  forefathers  of  the  quiet  and  orderly  people 
inhabiting  that  section.  By  means  of  official  and  social  inter- 
course with  all  classes  of  the  citizens  of  Tidewater  Virginia 
the  writer  is  indebted  for  much  of  the  interesting  and  amus- 
ing data  herein  submitted  to  the  reader. 

The  book  also  contains  the  names  of  all  the  counties  with 
date  of  formation  and  a  valuable  appendix  giving  a  list  with 
short  biographical  sketches  of  all  the  governors  of  Virginia. 
This  volume  is,  therefore,  intended  as  a  reference  book  as  well 
as  for  general  reading.  Many  of  the  narratives  may  appear 
disconnected,  but  the  author  wishes  it  understood  that  his 
purpose  has  been  not  to  give  a  connected  history  but  to  present 
those  facts  of  Virginia  relating  especially  to  the  life  and  cus- 
toms which  are  fast  disappearing  and  of  which  there  has  been 
no  chronicler. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I     The  Domain  of  Virginia 1 

II     The  Peninsulas  of  Tidewater  Virginia 5 

III  The  Indians  of  Virginia 22 

IV  The  Lost  Colony  of  Eoanoke 36 

V  The   Founding  of  an  English  Nation  in 

America 43 

VI     Captain  John  Smith 64 

VII     The  Place  of  Smith's  Rescue 71 

VIII    Virginia  Firmly  Planted 78 

IX     Old  Williamsburg 84 

X     Marrying  in  Old  Virginia 90 

XI  The  Growth  of  Virginia  in  Colonial  Days.     97 

XII  Some  Observations  on  Tidewater  People:.   114 

XIII  The    Commonwealth    of    Virginia,    1776- 

1860    128 

XIV  The  Negro  Slave  in  Virginia 14S 

XV     Secession  and  Civil  War 160 

XVI     The  Negro  and  TIts  Former  Master 168 

XVII    County  Courts  i\  Tidewater  Virginia 179 

XVIII     Country  Roads  i\  Tidewater  Virginia 205 

XIX    Lands  and  Products 221 

XX     Life  and  Customs"? 267 

XXI    Miscellaneous  31() 

Appendix — Lis1   of  Governors  of   Virginia  with   Short 
Biographical  Sketches 336 


[v] 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Captain  John  Smith Frontispiece. 

Birthplace  of  James  Monroe.  .    .    j  Facin£  p^ 

Birthplace  of  George  Washington  ) 

Rope  Ferry  near  West  Point \  #  32 

Ruins  of  White  House  on  Pamunkey  River  ) 

Place  of  Smith's  Rescue  (Rosewell)  )  .    .      72 

Indian  Dance ) 

Yorktown,  Va.  j  Custom  ^use  \      130 

(  Principal  Street ) 

Carpet  Bag  of  Reconstruction  Days  )  -^ 

Edmund  Ruffin ) 

Wind  Grist  Mill )       ...     174 

Water-power  ((C  Overshot  Wheel »)  Grist  Mill  ) 

Birthplace  of  General  R.  E.  Lee  j  <    m    204 

Home  of  President  Tyler   .    .    .    ) 

Foot  Bridge  over  a  Run j  _        208 

A  Winding  Hill  Road  of  Tidewater  ) 

(<  Buck  and  Bright,"  a  Virginia  Ox  Team  )  #    _    220 

A  Negro  ex-Confederate  Soldier.    .    .    .    ) 

Watermelon  Hucksters  on  the  way  to   Richmond  j     _     2^ 

A  Map  of  Virginia ) 

A  Successful  Coon  Hunt )  ....    284 

vSliore  Fishery ) 

«  Sunnyside,"  a  Tidewater  Virginia  Home  |  298 

Berkley,  Birthplace  of  President  Harrison  J 
Residence  of  General  R.  E.  Lee,  Richmond,  Va., 

(1861-1865) 31S 

Confederate  Monument  in  Hollywood. 330 

White  House  of  the  Confederacy,  with  Shaft  of  the 

Merrimac 334 

[vii] 


Life  in  Old  Virginia 

CHAPTER  I 
The  Domain  of  Virginia 


The  historian  Burke  wrote:  "A  correct  history  of  Virginia 
would  be  the  history  of  North  America  itself,  a  portion  of  the 
globe,  which  enjoying  the  invaluable  privilege  of  self  govern- 
ment, promises  to  eclipse  the  glory  of  Rome  and  Athens.  In 
this  part  of  the  American  Continent  the  first  permanent  estab- 
lishment was  formed  by  the  English,  and  it  is  here  we  must  look 
for  those  ancient  documents  and  materials,  whose  discovery  will 
throw  light  on  the  history  of  the  other  States." 

Virginia,  now  a  South  Atlantic  State,  and  one  of  the 
original  thirteen  States  to  form  the  Union,  was  named  in 
honor  of  Elizabeth,  the  Virgin  Queen,  and  originally  com- 
prised all  the  territory  north  of  Florida  extending  "  from 
sea  to  sea,"  across  this  continent,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific  Oceans.  What  is  now  left  of  this  immense  territory, 
bearing  the  honored  name  of  Virginia,  lies  between  the 
parallels  of  36°  31'  and  39°  27'  North;  and  longitude 
75°  13'  and  83°  37'  West,  containing  a  gross  area  of  42,450 
i  re  miles,  or  27,168,000  acres ;  40,125  square  miles  of  which 
18  land  >:irface,  and  2,325  square  miles  of  water  surface.  It 
contains  100  counties,  which  are  grouped  into  six  grand  divi- 
sions, as  follows : 

(1)  Tidewater  Virginia;  (2)  Middle  Virginia;  (3)  Pied- 
mont, Virginia;  (1)  The  Valley  of  Virginia;  (5)  The  Blue 
Ridge,  and  (6)  Apalachia. 

[1] 


g  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

The  first  dividing  of  the  original  territory  named  Virginia 
was  by  James  I  of  England,  who  on  April  10,  1606,  granted 
a  charter  to  the  "  South  Virginia  Company "  of  London, 
commonly  called  the  "  London  Company/'  and  to  the  "  North 
Virginia  Company,"  of  Plymouth.  When  this  charter  was 
granted,  the  Crown  of  England  claimed  the  whole  of  North 
America  called  "  Virginia,"  between  34°  and  45°  north 
latitude  under  the  name  of  Virginia,  by  right  of  discovery. 
It  was  conceded  that  Spain  occupied  all  south  of  34° — com- 
monly called  Florida — and  to  France  was  conceded  all  north 
of  45°.  To  the  London  Company  was  granted  the  territory 
between  34°  and  41°  north  latitude,  running  from  ocean  to 
ocean. 

The  northern  limits  of  Virginia  were  afterwards  curtailed 
by  grants  to  Lord  Baltimore  in  1631  and  to  William  Penn  in 
1681,  and  the  southern  limits  by  a  grant  to  the  Proprietors  of 
the  Carolinas  by  charter  in  1663.  The  next  division  of  Vir- 
ginia's territory  was  by  deed  of  cession  through  her  delegates 
in  the  Continental  Congress,  Thomas  Jefferson,  Samuel 
Hardy,  Arthur  Lee,  and  James  Monroe  on  March  1,  1784. 

When  the  definite  treaty  of  peace  with  Great  Britain  was 
made,  September  3,  1783,  the  general  government  had  no 
lands  in  its  possession,  though  the  States  had  promised  to 
cede  their  western  lands.  All  the  territory  included  in  that 
treaty  was  then  claimed  by  some  one  or  other  of  the  several 
States.  It  was  through  the  cessions  of  these  several  States 
which  claimed  the  lands  that  the  United  States  government 
derived  title  to  what  is  known  as  public  lands,  or  "public 
domain."  Subsequently  both  the  public  and  national  domain 
was  acquired  and  added  to  by  the  general  government  by 
purchase,  treaty  and  annexation  from  France,  Spain,  Texas, 
and  Eussia,  during  several  respective  periods.  The  "  national 
domain  "  is  the  total  area,  land  and  water,  embraced  within 


THE   DOMAIN    OF   VIRGINIA  d 

the  boundaries  of  the  United  States  of  America.  The  United 
States  government  also  holds  dominion  over  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  some  parts  of  the  West  Indies,  and  the  Philippine 
Islands,  all  of  which  are  outside  the  limits  of  the  main  lands 
of  North  America. 

Prior  to  1781,  six  only  of  the  original  thirteen  States,  viz., 
New  Hampshire,  Rhode  Island,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania, 
Maryland,  and  Delaware  had  their  present  defined  boundaries, 
while  the  remaining  seven  States,  claimed  some  lands  to  the 
west.  The  States  with  inexact  boundaries  ceded  their  claims 
to  the  lands  west  of  their  present  limits  to  the  general  Govern- 
ment. 

The  total  actual  cessions  of  these  seven  States,  viz:  Con- 
necticut, New  York,  Massachusetts,  Virginia,  North  Caro- 
lina, South  Carolina,  and  Georgia,  for  public  domain,  were 
404,956  square  miles,  or  259,171,840  acres.  Of  this  amount 
Virginia  ceded  195,431,680  acres,  the  most  valuable  gift  ever 
recorded  in  the  history  of  this  nation.  Hence  her  right  to 
the  honored  title  of  "  The  Mother  of  States." 

On  March  1,  1784,  Virginia,  through  her  delegates  in  the 
Continental  Congress  completed  the  act  of  ceding  all  the 
territory  west  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  and  northwest  of 
the  river  Ohio  below  the  forty-first  parallel  of  north  latitude, 
which  was  hers  by  charter  right.  She  had  an  additional 
claim  to  the  western  territory  extending  north  from  the  forty- 
first  parallel  north  latitude  to  Lakes  Michigan  and  Huron, 
now  in  Illinois  and  Michigan,  and  northward,  by  reason  of 
conquest  and  occupancy  during  the  Revolutionary  War  by  her 
State  troops  under  General  George  Rogers  Clark. 

The  present  area  of  the  State  of  Kentucky,  40,400  square 
miles,  was  a  "  District "  of  Virginia,  lying  south  of  the  Ohio 
River,  and  was  allowed  to  be  organized  into  a  State  in  1792. 


4  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

The  extent  of  the  territory  Virginia  gave  to  the  Union  was : 

The  State  of  Ohio  (excepting  the  Western  Re- 
serve and  Fire-lands  claimed  by  the  State  of 
Connecticut  and  lands  now  in  Michigan)    ....39,364  sq.  miles 

The  State  of  Indiana 33,809  sq.  miles 

The  State  of  Illinois 55,414  sq.  miles 

She  also  ceded  lands  claimed  by  the  State  of  Connecticut 
and  Massachusetts  under  their  crown  charters,  as  well  as  by 
the  United  States  under  the  definite  treaty  of  peace  with 
Great  Britain  of  1783: 

In  Michigan    56,451  sq.  miles 

In   Wisconsin    53,924  sq.  miles 

In  Minnesota,  east  of  Mississippi  River 26,000  sq.  miles 

Total  (disputed  and  undisputed)  cession  by 
Virginia,    including   Kentucky 305,362  sq.  miles 

The  last  slice  of  territory  taken  from  Old  Virginia  was 
23,000  square  miles,  which  went  to  form  the  State  of  West 
Virginia,  by  an  Act  of  Congress,  December  31,  1862,  which 
took  effect  June  9,  1863. 


CHAPTER  II 
The  Peninsulas  of  Tidewater  Virginia 


The  region  which  the  colonists  first  selected  for  settlement 
is  known  as  "Tidewater  Virginia."  It  was  there  that  the 
first  great  struggle  of  the  white  race  was  begun  with  the 
aboriginal  inhabitants  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  per- 
manent abiding  home  in  a  new  world,  many  years  before  the 
"Pilgrim  Fathers"  first  sighted  Plymouth  Rock.  The 
howling  of  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forest,  the  war  whoop  of  the 
equally  wild  man  and  the  solemn  hoot  of  the  midnight  owl 
were  the  only  sounds  to  greet  the  ears  of  the  first  settler  in  all 
the  vast  territory  which  now  comprises  this  "  Glorious  Union 
of  States."  The  settlement  of  this  region  was  begun  more 
than  two  hundred  years  before  the  first  railroad  was  built 
upon  this  planet.  There  were  then  no  public  highways,  but 
only  here  and  there  an  Indian  trail  to  point  the  new  comer 
through  the  wide  wilderness  of  America. 

This  region  of  America  is  full  of  the  romances  and  the 
realities  of  the  experiences  of  the  early  years  of  the  first  per- 
manent settlement  of  the  English  speaking  people  on  this 
Continent.  Here  it  was  for  the  first  time  that  the  stroke  of 
the  axe  of  the  English  laid  prostrate  the  standing  giants  of 
the  forests  of  the  new  world,  and  thereby  awakened  nature 
from  its  slumbers  and  sounded  new  and  alarming  echoes 
throughout  the  lands  christened  "Virginia"  by  a  Virgin 
Queen  of  the  Old  World.  It  was  here  that  the  beasts  of  the 
wild  woods,  and  the  fowls  of  the  air  first  were  shocked  to  death 
by  the  burst  of  the  rifle's  discharge,  and  the  superstitious 

[8] 


6  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

natives  thus  forced  to  believe  that  the  new  comers  were  born 
not  of  woman  but  sent  armed  from  the  skies  with  a  demon  of 
destruction  which  no  other  earthly  power  possessed.  It  was 
there  the  first  thoughts  of  human  freedom  were  given  birth 
and  voice  to  cheer  mankind.  The  "  cradle  of  liberty  for  this 
Continent"  was  first  tenanted  and  rocked  there  to  lull  the 
cries  of  the  "  child  of  freedom."  It  was  there  the  first  truly 
representative  legislative  body  of  the  people  assembled  on 
this  continent.  The  first  sound  of  praise  and  thanksgiving 
ever  uttered  in  the  language  of  this  nation-  from  a  house  of 
worship  dedicated  to  God,  in  the  new  found  world,  vibrated 
the  air  of  Tidewater  Virginia,  and  wafted  its  way  to  the 
throne  of  Grace,  bespeaking  the  coming  of  a  new  race.  It 
was  at  Jamestown  that  the  first  church  was  built  within  the 
territory  which  later  comprised  the  thirteen  original  States. 
It  was  in  that  section  that  Pocahontas,  the  untutored 
daughter  of  a  savage  chief,  though  born  in  the  primeval 
forest,  first  taught  the  world  that  "  pity  and  mercy  "  are  the 
inherent  qualities  of  womankind,  and  are  not  confined  to  the 
cultured  princesses  of  the  stately  palaces  of  civilization. 

It  was  here  that  the  first  slave  set  foot  upon  the  mainland 
of  this  continent.  Here  it  was  that  the  white  man  first  exer- 
cised the  right  of  suffrage,  and  that  trial  by  jury  was  first 
granted.  The  first  free  school  on  this  continent  was  started 
in  this  section.  The  first  manufactures  of  this  continent  were 
begun  here,  and  were  the  first  of  such  products  sent  from  the 
newly  found  continent  to  the  Old  World. 

Tidewater  Virginia  has  produced  more  eminent  and  illus- 
trious men  of  America  than  any  other  section  of  the  same 
extent  within  the  boundaries  of  this  nation.  Its  history  has 
inspired  the  orator,  enthused  the  soldier,  and  awakened  in 
the  statesman  suggestions  of  wisdom,  the  benefits  of  which 
this  nation  is  now  the  recipient. 

Its  soil  is  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  the  patriots  of  the 


THE    PENINSULAS    OF    TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  7 

Revolution  in  their  successful  battling  at  Yorktown,  which 
cheered  a  weak  people  in  their  mighty  struggle  for  final  free- 
dom. The  marks  of  many  heroic  battles  for  the  perpetuation 
of  the  "  Old  Union  of  States,"  or  a  disunited  nation  and  a 
"  New  Confederacy,"  are  yet  in  plain  view  in  many  parts  of 
this  section  of  Virginia,  bearing  evidence  of  the  willing  sacri- 
fices which  all  Americans  will  make  in  defense  of  a  principle. 

Tidewater  Virginia  begins  at  a  gap  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
shores  of  Virginia,  known  as  the  "  Capes  of  the  Chesapeake." 
This  gap  forms  an  entrance  more  than  twelve  miles  in  width, 
and  within  a  short  distance  inland  from  its  mouth  it  broadens 
into  a  magnificent  stream,  in  some  places  nearly  forty  miles 
wide,  and  is  known  as  the  Chesapeake  Bay.  The  salt  waters 
which  flow  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  into  this  big  bay,  through 
its  capacious  mouth,  spread  out  and  form  long  rivers,  such  as 
the  James,  Rappahannock,  and  Potomac,  and  shorter  streams 
as  the  York,  Piankatank,  Yeocomico,  Coan,  "Wicomico, 
Nomini  and  others  too  numerous  to  mention,  and  inlets, 
creeks,  and  coves  innumerable.  The  Chesapeake  Bay  also 
sends  its  flood  of  waters  to  the  shores  of  Maryland,  where 
they  form  innumerable  streams  throughout  that  State. 

Tidewater  Virginia   is  divided   into   nine  natural  subdi- 

ions,  or  large   (primary)   peninsulas,  each  of  which  con- 
tains many  small  (subordinate)  peninsulas,  no  part  of  which 
is  elevated  more  than  150  feet  above  sea  level. 
The  large  peninsulas  are  grouped  as  follows : 

1.  "The  Eastern  Shore  Peninsula,"  consisting  of  two 
counties : 

Northampton  and  Accomac.  The  first  was  named  in  honor 
of  the  Ear]  of  Northampton;  the  hitter  was  named  after  an 
Indian  tribe  inhabiting  that  section.  Northampton  and 
Accomac  were  twice  named.  The  territory  composing  the 
Eastern  Shore  of  Virginia  was  first  named  Accawmake. 
Under  this  name  it  was  made  one  of  the  eight  original  shires 


8  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

into  which  "Virginia  was  divided  in  1634,  and  continued  under 
the  name  of  Accawmake  until  1642,  when  it  was  changed  to 
Northampton.  In  1672  Accomac  was  formed  from  its  upper 
part,  and  the  lower  part  retained  the  name  of  Northampton. 
This  peninsula  begins  on  the  Atlantic  coast  at  Cape  Charles, 
and  extends  along  the  eastern  shore  of  Chesapeake  Bay  to  the 
Maryland  line.  It  includes  the  land  across  to  the  Atlantic 
coast. 

2.  The  "Norfolk  Peninsula"  consisting  of  two  counties: 
Princess   Anne,   formed   in   1691,   from   Lower   Norfolk, 

named  in  honor  of  Queen  Anne. 

Norfolk,  formed  in  1691,  from  part  of  Lower  Norfolk, 
named  in  honor  of  Duke  of  Norfolk. 

This  peninsula  begins  on  the  Atlantic  coast  at  the  North 
Carolina  line,  extending  inland  around  Cape  Henry  to  the 
mouth  of  James  Eiver. 

3.  The  "  Southside  Peninsula"  containing  seven  counties: 
Nansemond  was  formed  in  1639  from  Upper  Norfolk,  and 

named  Nansimun  after  an  Indian  tribe.  In  1645  it  was 
changed  to  Nansemond. 

Isle  of  Wight,  one  of  the  original  eight  shires  formed  in 
1634,  and  known  originally  as  Warrasquake.  In  1637  it  was 
named  in  honor  of  a  place  in  England. 

Southampton,  formed  in  1784,  from  Isle  of  Wight,  named 
in  honor  of  Earl  of  Southampton. 

Sussex,  formed  in  1753  from  Surrey  County,  named  in 
honor  of  Lord  Sussex. 

Surrey,  formed  in  1652  from  James  City  County,  named 
in  honor  of  Lord  Surrey. 

Prince  George,  formed  in  1702  from  Charles  City  County, 
named  in  honor  of  Prince  George,  afterwards  King  George  II. 

Chesterfield,  formed  in  1748,  from  Henrico,  named  in 
honor  of  P.  D.  Stanhope,  Lord  Chesterfield. 

This  peninsula  is  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  James 


THE   PENINSULAS    OF   TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  J 

River,  beginning  at  its  mouth,  and  extending  to  "  the  falls  " 
of  that  river  which  flows  between  Chesterfield  and  Henrico 
counties. 

4.  The  "  Richmond,"  or  "  Chickahominy  "  Peninsula,  con- 
taining two  counties: 

Charles  City  County,  one  of  the  original  eight  shires  into 
which  Virginia  was  divided  in  1634,  named  in  honor  of 
Charles  the  First. 

Henrico,  one  of  the  original  eight  shires  into  which  Vir- 
ginia was  divided  in  1634,  named  in  honor  of  Henry,  Prince 
of  Wales. 

This  peninsula  is  on  the  north  side  of  the  James,  and  be- 
tween that  river  and  the  Chickahominy.  It  begins  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Chickahominy  where  that  stream  empties  into 
the  James,  and  extends  to  "the  falls"  of  the  latter  river, 
which  flows  between  Henrico  and  Chesterfield  counties. 

5.  The  next  peninsula  is  known  as  "  The  Peninsula,"  con- 
taining six  counties : 

Elizabeth  City  County,  one  of  the  original  eight  shires 
into  which  Virginia  was  divided  in  1634,  named  in  honor  of 
Queen  Elizabeth. 

Warwick,  one  of  the  original  eight  shires  into  which 
Virginia  was  divided  in  1634,  then  called  Warwick  River, 
changed  to  Warwick  in  1642,  named  in  honor  of  Warwick  in 
England. 

York,  one  of  the  original  eight  shires  into  which  Virginia 
was  divided  in  1634,  then  called  Charles  River,  changed  to 
York  in  1642,  named  in  honor  of  Duke  of  York. 

James  City  County,  one  of  the  original  eight  shires  into 
which  Virginia  was  divided  in  1634,  named  in  honor  of  King 
James  I. 

New  Kent,  formed  in  1654,  from  York,  named  in  honor 
of  Kent  in  England. 

TTnnovor.  formed  in  1720,  from  New  Kent,  named  in  honor 
<>f  George  I.,  King  of  Eanover  as  well  as  England. 


10  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

This  peninsula  begins  at  Hampton  Roads  and  Chesapeake 
Bay,  its  southern  boundary,  thence  up  the  James  River  to 
mouth  of  Chickahominy,  where  this  stream  empties  into  the 
latter  river,  thence  up  the  northern  bank  of  Chickahominy. 
Its  eastern  and  northern  boundary  is  the  whole  length  of  the 
south  side  of  York  River,  thence  up  the  Pamunkey,  between 
that  river  and  Chickahominy. 

6.  The  "  Gloucester  Peninsula,"  containing  three  counties : 
Gloucester,  formed  in  1651  from  a  part  of  York,  named  in 

honor  of  Duke  of  Gloucester. 

Mathews,  formed  in  1790,  from  part  of  Gloucester,  named 
in  honor  of  Governor  Mathews.  This  county  is  a  peninsula 
extending  into  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  united  to  the  main 
land  by  a  narrow  neck  of  land.  Its  lands  are  so  nearly  on 
a  dead  level  that  there  are  no  running  streams  of  fresh 
water  in  the  county.  The  grist  mills  are  run  by  wind  or 
tide  power. 

King  and  Queen  County,  formed  in  1691,  from  New  Kent, 
named  in  honor  of  King  "William  and  Queen  Mary. 

This  peninsula  lies  between  the  York  and  Piankatank 
Rivers  and  Chesapeake  Bay. 

7.  The  "  King  William  "  or  "  Pamunkey  Peninsula,"  con- 
taining two  counties: 

King  William,  formed  in  1701,  from  King  and  Queen, 
named  in  honor  of  William  III.  It  lies  between  the  Pamun- 
key and  Mattaponi  Rivers. 

Caroline,  formed  in  1727,  in  the  language  of  the  act  of 
the  House  of  Burgess,  "  On  the  heads  of  Essex,  King  and 
Queen,  and  King  William  Counties,"  named  in  honor  of 
Princess  Caroline  Elizabeth.  It  lies  between  the  North 
Anna  and  Rappahannock  Rivers. 

8.  The  "  Middlesex  Peninsula,"  containing  two  counties : 
Middlesex,  formed  in   1675,   from  Lancaster,  named  in 

honor  of  Middlesex  in  England. 


THE    PENINSULAS    OP    TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  11 

Essex,  formed  in  1692,  from  part  of  "  Old  Rappahannock  " 
County,  named  in  honor  of  Earl  of  Essex. 

Old  Rappahannock  County  was  formed  in  December,  1656, 
from  part  of  Lancaster  County.  In  the  language  of  the 
Act  of  Assembly :  "  The  upper  part  of  Mr.  Bennetts  land 
knowne  by  the  name  of  Xaemhock  on  the  south  side  of  the 
eastermost  branch  of  Moratticock  Creeke,  on  the  north  side 
the  river  be  the  lowermost  bounds  of  the  upper  county.  The 
lower  county  to  retaine  the  name  of  Lancaster  and  the  upper 
county  to  be  named  Rappahannock." 

The  territory  embraced  within  what  was  termed  in  the  act 
as  the  "  Upper  County  "  included  Richmond  County,  on  the 
north  side  of  Rappahannock  River,  and  Essex  County  on  the 
south  side  of  same  river. 

9.  The  "  Northern  Neck  of  Virginia,"  now  containing  five 
counties : 

Lancaster,  foimed  in  1651,  from  Northumberland,  named 
ir.  honor  of  Lancaster  in  England. 

Northumberland  County,  originally  called  Chickcoun, 
adjoining  Lancaster  on  the  Chesapeake  Bay.  It  originally 
comprised  the  whole  "  Neck  of  land  between  Rappahannock 
and  Potomac  Rivers." 

The  date  when  this  county  was  formed  is  in  doubt;  it  cer- 
tainly contained  the  first  settlement  of  the  whites  north  of 
Rappahannock  River,  within  all  the  territory  subsequently 
named  "  The  Northern  Nock  of  Virginia."  At  what  date  the 
first  settlement  was  made  there  is  not  known.  By  an  Act  of 
Assembly  in  June,  1642,  it  was  felony  to  settle  outside  of 
certain  limits  without  permission  of  the  governor  and  council. 
It  provided  "That  the  Rappahannock  River  should  remain 
unseated  for  divers  reasons  therein  contained,  notwithstand- 
ing it  should  and  might  be  lawful  for  all  persons  to  assume 
grants  for  lands  there,"  etc.  A  similar  act  to  that  of  June, 
1642  was  passed  in  1647,  but  in  October,  1648,  it  was  re- 


12  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

pealed.  Hening's  statutes  states :  "  The  county  was  probably 
formed  by  the  Governor  and  Council  during  the  recess  of  the 
Legislature"  (of  1642).  Notwithstanding  the  act  making 
it  felony  to  settle  "  in  the  north  side,"  of  the  Eappahannock 
River,  Northumberland  County  was  represented  in  the  Gene- 
ral Assembly  at  James  City  in  the  session  beginning  in 
November,  1645,  by  "  Mr.  John  Matrum."  He  was  the  only 
Burgess  from  the  Northern  Neck  side  of  Eappahannock 
River,  and  is  named  as  from  "  Northumberland,"  without 
the  "  County "  attached.  He  probably  was  accepted  from 
the  "  Plantation  of  Northumberland."  Act  of  October  12, 
1648,  is  as  follows :  "  That  the  inhabitants  of  Chickcoun, 
and  other  parts  of  the  neck  of  land  between  the  Rappahan- 
nock and  Potomac  Rivers  *  *  *  be  hereafter  called  and 
known  by  the  name  of  Northumberland,  and  that  they  have 
the  power  of  electing  Burgesses  for  said  County,"  &c.  The 
Act  of  October,  1646,  calls  upon  the  inhabitants  of  "  North- 
umberland" for  taxes:  "Whereas  the  inhabitants  of 
Chickawane  alias  Northumberland  being  members  of  this 
colony  have  not  hitherto  contributed  towards  the  charges  of 
War.  It  is  now  felt  that  said  inhabitants  do  make  payments 
of  the  leavy  according  to  such  rates  as  are  by  the  Grand 
Assembly  assessed.  The  inhabitants  of  Chickawane  shall 
alwaies  hereafter  be  liable  for  taxes."  The  taxes  were 
assessed  in  tobacco  as  follows : 

"  For  every  100  acres  of  land  15  lbs.  of  tobacco." 
"  For  every  cow  above  3  years  old  15  lbs.  tobacco." 
In  case  of  "  refusal  to  pay  leavy  the  inhabitants  to  be  called 
off  the  plantation  " — sent  south  of  the  Rappahannock  River. 
"  Northumberland "  was  the  name  given  this  section  in 
honor  of  the  Earl  of  Northumberland,  and  that  name  was 
probably  in  use  there,  as  well  as  the  Indian  name  of  "  Chick- 
coun "  or  "  Chickawane "  long  before  it  became  a  county. 
One  of  the  rivers  of  this  county — Cone  or  Coan — is  an  abbre- 


THE    PENINSULAS    OF   TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  13 

viation  of  Secacaconies,  an  Indian  tribe  once  located  on  that 
stream.  The  first  public  official  announcement  of  the  name 
of  Northumberland  occurs  in  the  9th  Act  of  Assembly,  Feb- 
ruary, 1644-5,  providing  for  the  erection  of  three  forts,  viz.: 
one  at  "Pamunkey"  (West  Point),  named  Fort  Royal,  one 
at  the  "Falls  of  James  River"  (Richmond),  named  Fort 
Charles,  and  the  third  on  the  ridge  at  "  Chicquohominie "' 
(near  Bottoms  Bridge),  named  Fort  James,  as  follows: 
"  And  be  it  explained  and  confirmed  by  the  authorities  that 
the  associating  counties  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  are 
hereby  to  contribute  towards  the  maintainance  of  the 
(Indian)  war  on  that  side,  without  any  expectation  of  any 
contribution  from  the  north  side,  and  so  likewise  on  the 
north  side  by  themselves  including  Northampton  and  North- 
umberland." From  the  above  one  would  conclude  it  had  been 
made  a  county  at,  or  prior  to  1644,  but  the  writers  of  the 
early  period,  except  Hening,  were  content  with  their  own 
knowledge  that  Northumberland  was  but  a  "  Plantation  "  in 
1644-45.  The  earliest  court  records  now  in  the  clerk's  office 
of  that  county  are  dated  1652.  Some  of  the  court  records 
were  burned  many  years  ago,  therefore  it  is  not  known  what 
dates  the  records  bore  which  were  destroyed.  The  old  books 
are  bound  with  oak  board  backs,  covered  with  heavy  leather. 
They  contain  much  of  interest  in  the  matter  of  curious  wills, 
and  surprising  items  relating  to  the  sentences  imposed  by 
the  courts  for  offenses  (stated  in  the  plainest  words  of  the 
English  language),  which  under  the  present  day  ruling  of  the 
courts  would  meet  with  less  rigorous  punishment. 

Richmond  County,  formed  in  1692,  from  old  Rappahan- 
nock, named  in  honor  of  Duke  of  Richmond. 

Westmoreland  County,  formed  in  1653,  from  Northumber- 
land, named  after  Westmoreland  in  England.  The  first  men- 
tion of  Westmoreland  County  is  in  an  Act  of  Assembly  of 
July,  1653,  by  which  "  It  is  ordered  that  the  bounds  of  the 


14  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

County  of  Westmoreland  be  as  follows,  viz. ;  from  Machoac- 
toke  River,  where  Mr.  Cole  lives,  and  so  upwards  to  the  falls 
of  the  great  river  Pawtomake,  above  Nescostines  towne." 
Nescostines  towne  referred  to  was  probably  a  settlement  of 
Indians  at  the  place  now  known  as  "  Anacostia,"  on  the 
Eastern  Branch,  now  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  West- 
moreland County  under  this  Act  extended  to  "  the  falls  of  the 
Potomac,"  which  would  include  the  territory  now  comprising 
the  counties  of  King  George,  Stafford,  Prince  William,  Fair- 
fax and  Alexandria. 

King  George  County,  formed  in  1720,  from  Richmond 
County,  named  in  honor  of  King  George  I. 

These  five  counties  are  formed  within  a  peninsula,  the 
southern  and  eastern  boundaries  being  the  mouths  of  the 
Rappahannock,  and  Potomac  rivers. 

Many  persons  include  the  County  of  Stafford  in  the  present 
"Northern  Neck  of  Virginia."  To  include  this  county 
would  bring  the  Northern  Neck  opposite  to  the  City  of 
Fredericksburg,  and  beyond  it  to  include  the  limits  of  the 
whole  county.  The  city  of  Fredericksburg  is  in  Spotsylvania 
County,  and  lies  on  the  southern  banks  of  the  Rappahannock, 
at  the  "  falls  "  of  that  river — the  head  of  tidewater  of  that 
stream. 

The  original  "Northern  Neck  of  Virginia"  distinguishes 
this  peninsula  as  being  once  the  seat  of  the  largest  individual 
land  holdings  ever  in  America.  In  1661,  Charles  II,  of 
England  made  a  grant  of  land  in  America  to  Lord  Hopton 
and  others,  which  included :  "  All  that  entire  tract,  territory 
and  parcel  of  land,  lying  and  being  in  America,  and  bounded 
by  and  within  the  headwaters  of  the  rivers  Tappahannock 
alias  Rappahannock,  and  Quiriough  alias  Potomac  rivers,  the 
course  of  the  said  rivers  as  they  are  commonly  called  and 
known  by  the  inhabitants,  and  description  of  their  parts  and 
Chesapeake  Bay."     This  was  sold  by  the  original  patentees  to 


THE    PENINSULAS    OF    TIDEWATER    VIRGINIA  15 

Lord  Culpeper  in  1683,  and  later  was  confirmed  to  him  by 
letters  patent  in  the  fourth  year  of  the  reign  of  James  II,  of 
England.  The  elder — Thomas  5th — Lord  Fairfax,  married 
the  only  daughter  of  Lord  Culpeper.  These  lands  descended 
to  the  son  by  this  marriage — Lord  Thomas  Fairfax,  Sixth 
Baron  of  Cambridge.  He  came  to  Virginia  in  1739  to  look 
after  this  estate.  This  immense  tract  included  the  territory 
now  comprising  the  counties  of  Lancaster,  Northumberland, 
Richmond,  Westmoreland,  King  George,  Stafford,  Prince 
William,  Fauquier,  Fairfax,  Loudon,  Culpeper,  Clarke, 
Madison,  Page,  Shenandoah  and  Frederick,  in  the  present 
limits  of  the  State  of  Virginia,  and  Hardy,  Hampshire,  Mor- 
gan, Berkeley  and  Jefferson,  now  within  the  State  of  West 
Virginia ;  the  whole  estate  comprising  nearly  6,000,000  acres. 
It  was  said  that  the  first  grant  was  only  intended  to  in- 
clude the  territory  between  the  Rappahannock  and  Potomac 
rivers  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains.  When  Fairfax 
discovered  that  the  Potomac  River  headed  in  the  Alleghany 
Mountains  he  went  to  England  and  instituted  his  petition  in 
the  Court  of  the  Kings  Bench  for  extending  his  grant  into 
the  Alleghany  Mountains,  so  as  to  include  the  territory  now 
composing  the  counties  of  Page,  Shenandoah,  and  Frederick, 
in  Virginia,  and  Hardy,  Hampshire,  Morgan,  Berkeley,  and 
Jefferson,  now  in  West  Virginia.  A  compromise  was 
effected  between  Fairfax  and  the  Crown,  in  which  it  was 
stipulated  that  the  holders  of  lands,  under  what  then  were 
called  "  Kings  grants,"  were  to  be  quieted  in  their  right  of 
possession.  Fairfax,  under  certain  pretexts  took  it  upon  him- 
self to  grant  away  large  quantities  of  these  Crown  granted 
lands  to  individuals  other  than  those  occupying  or  claiming 
them  under  the  Crown  grants,  and  thereby  produced  numer- 
ous lawsuits.  His  title  was  disputed  on  every  hand.  The 
northern  boundary  was  disputed  by  the  Maryland  proprietary, 
and  his  eastern  and  southern  boundaries  were  disputed  by 
many  settlers  upon  it.     On  the  Maryland  side  the  question 


16  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

was  which  of  the  two  head  streams  of  the  Potomac  was  in- 
tended to  be  the  northern  boundary  of  Lord  Culpeper's  pur- 
chase in  1683.  In  Virginia  the  dispute  was  concerning 
the  grants  to  settlers  east  of  the  Alleghanies,  and  also  as  to 
which  of  the  two  head  streams  of  the  Eappahannock  was  the 
Fairfax  limits :  "  The  Conway  "  (confluent  of  the  Eapidan) , 
or  the  Eappahannock,  between  these  being  all  the  land  now 
comprised  by  the  counties  of  Culpeper,  Madison  and  Eappa- 
hannock. 

On  a  petition  of  Lord  Fairfax,  the  King  appointed  a  "  Com- 
mission "  for  running  out  and  marking  the  limits  of  his 
patent.  The  three  Commissioners  for  the  Crown  were 
Colonel  William  Byrd,  of  Westover,  John  Bobinson,  and 
John  Grymes.  Lord  Fairfax  appointed  William  Fairfax, 
William  Beverley  and  Charles  Carter.  In  1746  an  expedition 
of  forty  gentlemen,  amongst  whom  were  Beverley,  Lomax, 
Lewis,  Lightfoot,  Hedgman,  Peter  Jefferson,  and  young 
George  Washington,  started  from  Fredericksburg  to  survey 
and  define  the  boundaries  of  "  The  Northern  Neck  of  Vir- 
ginia." This  expedition  laid  the  "  Fairfax  Stone "  at  the 
head  spring  of  the  Potomac.  Lord  Fairfax  opened  an  office 
in  the  county — Fairfax — which  was  named  in  his  honor. 
There  he  granted  out  his  lands  until  a  few  years  thereafter 
when  he  removed  to  Frederick  County,  and  settled  at  a  place 
he  called  "  Greenway  Court,"  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  south- 
east of  Winchester,  where  he  led  a  sort  of  hermit  life,  and 
kept  his  office  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died 
December  12,  1781,  soon  after  hearing  of  the  surrender  of 
Cornwallis  at  Yorktown.  It  is  said  that  as  soon  as  he  learned 
of  the  capture  of  Cornwallis  and  his  army,  he  called  his  ser- 
vant to  assist  him  to  bed,  observing :  "  It  is  time  for  me  to 
die,"  and  he  never  again  left  his  bed  until  he  was  consigned 
to  his  tomb.  His  body  was  deposited  under  the  Communion 
table  in  the  then  Episcopal  church  in  Winchester. 

The  lands  were  granted  by  Fairfax  in  fee  simple  to  his 


Locust  Tree 

In  lawn  where  stood  the  bouse  in  which 
President  Monroe  was  born,  Westmore- 
land County,  Va.  The  field  in  which 
this  tree  now  stands  is  owned  by  Rev. 
Cornelius  Stuart,  a  negro  Baptist  preacher. 
It  is  tradition  that  this  tree  stood  in  the 
lawn  in  front  of  the  house.  It  is  very 
old  and  much  decayed.  This  site  over- 
looks Monroe  creek  and  Potomac  river. 


Log  Cabin,  Corn  Houses  and  Ham,,  on   Wakefield  Estate, 
the  Birthplace  oi  George  Wa  hington. 

William  H.  w  ■>  hington,  a  (lists  '  .  ton,    i  inding  on  pile  ol  i  orn  .  .,i, 


THE   PENINSULAS    OF   TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  17 

tenants,  subject  to  an  annual  rent  of  two  shillings  sterling 
per  hundred  acres,  added  to  which  he  required  the  payment 
of  ten  shillings  sterling  on  each  fifty  acres,  which  he  termed 
"composition  money,"  and  which  was  to  be  paid  upon  the 
issuing  of  the  grant.  In  1785  the  legislature  of  Virginia 
passed  an  Act,  in  which  among  other  provisions,  in  relation 
to  the  Northern  Neck,  is  the  following :  "  And  be  it  further 
enacted,  that  the  land  owners  within  the  said  district  of  the 
Northern  Neck  shall  be  forever  hereafter  exonerated  and  dis- 
charged from  composition  and  quitrents,  any  law,  custom  or 
usage,  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding." 

The  present  limits  of  the  Northern  Neck  of  Virginia  have 
earned  a  far  greater  distinction  than  that  of  its  connection 
with  the  largest  individual  proprietorship  of  lands.  Within  its 
borders  were  born  some  of  the  most  illustrious  men,  who  were 
conspicuous  in  the  shaping  of  the  destinies  of  the  American 
people.  Of  the  seven  Presidents  of  the  United  States  who 
were  born  in  Virginia,  but  two  of  them  were  born  outside  of 
the  tidewater  section:  Thos.  Jefferson,  born  in  Albemarle 
County,  and  Zachary  Taylor,  born  in  Orange  County.  Of 
the  remaining  five  Presidents,  three  were  born  in  the  North- 
ern Neck  of  Virginia — George  "Washington,  and  James  Mon- 
roe, both  born  in  Westmoreland  County,  and  James  Madison, 
born  in  the  adjoining  county  of  King  George.  The  other  two 
Presidents — William  Henry  Harrison,  and  John  Tyler,  were 
born  in  Charles  City  County.  The  Northern  Neck  of  Vir- 
ginia  is  greatly  distinguished  and  honored  as  the  birthplace 
of  "Mary"  (Ball),  "The  Mother  of  Washington,"  born  at 
"  Epping  Forest,"  Lancaster  County,  in  1707.  She  died  at 
Bit.  Vernon,  Fairfax  County,  August  25,  1789. 

Westmoreland  County  was  also  the  birthplace  of  the 
"Lees" — "Light  Horse  1  lurry  Lee,"  and  others  of  that 
family,  including  General  "Robert  E.  Lee." 

The  Northern  Neck  is  the  longest  of  all  the  peninsulas 
comprising  Tidewater  Virginia.     It  extends  from  the  Chesa- 


18  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

peake  Bay  shores  to  the  head  of  tidewater,  upon  the  Rappa- 
hannock River;  a  distance  of  more  than  120  miles. 

Tidewater  Virginia  extends  beyond  the  confines  of  the 
counties  named  as  being  within  the  nine  peninsulas  herein 
mentioned.  It  also  includes  the  five  counties  on  the  upper 
tidewater  section  of  the  Potomac  River,  to  "  the  falls,"  viz. : 

Stafford,  formed  in  1675,  from  "Westmoreland,  named  in 
honor  of  Lord  Stafford. 

Spotsylvania,  formed  in  1720,  from  Essex,  King  William 
and  King  and  Queen,  and  named  in  honor  of  Alexander  Spots- 
wood,  a  Governor  of  Virginia. 

Prince  "William,  formed  in  1730,  from  King  George  and 
Stafford,  named  in  honor  of  "William,  Duke  of  Cumberland. 

Fairfax,  formed  in  1742,  from  Prince  WTilliam,  named  in 
honor  of  Lord  Fairfax,  the  proprietor  of  the  Northern  Neck. 

Alexandria  County,  was  originally  a  part  of  Fairfax  county, 
and  was  ceded  to  the  United  States,  to  become  a  part  of  the 
District  of  Columbia  for  the  seat  of  the  Federal  Government. 
In  1847  it  was  retroceded  to  Virginia,  and  organized  as  a 
county. 

These  five  counties  are  by  some  authorities  assigned  to  the 
"  Tidewater  Divisions,"  and  by  others  they  are  classed  as 
being  in  the  "  Middle  Virginia "  section.  They  are  inter- 
sected by  tidal  streams  through  their  lands,  the  greater  part 
of  which  is  on  the  fresh  water  section  of  tidewater. 

The  soil  of  Tidewater  Virginia  is  variable  in  its  formation 
and  fertility.  The  lands  at  the  mouths  of  the  Potomac  and 
Rappahannock  Rivers  are  low,  and  composed  mainly  of  sand 
and  clay,  devoid  of  stones  or  rocks.  As  the  lands  advance  up 
the  "  Northern  Neck,"  there  is  evidence  of  pebbles,  cobble 
stones,  and  finally  a  rocky  formation  appears  upon  their 
surface.  On  "the  ridge"— the  central  region  between  the 
rivers,  Rappahannock  and  Potomac — is  found  the  least  fertile 
of  all  its  soils.     Such  is  the  case  in  all  of  the  peninsulas,  as 


THE   PENINSULAS    OF   TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  19 

one  goes  from  the  east  to  the  west.  On  the  ridges  can  be 
seen  bare  sand  hills  free  from  vegetation  even  during  the 
season  of  verdure  on  the  surrounding  lands,  and  seamed  into 
unshapely  gulleys  by  the  rains  and  snows  of  centuries.  In 
these  sections  can  be  found  log  cabins,  and  "  slab  "  dwellings 
and  outhouses,  and  "  pine  brush  arbor  cuppens  "  (shelters) 
for  cattle.  Fortunately  there  is  but  a  small  percentage  of 
this  character  of  land  in  old  Virginia.  Its  loss  of  fertility  is 
due  mainly  to  the  improvident  and  neglectful  modes  of  cul- 
tivation practiced  in  the  early  years,  by  taking  everything 
off  the  land  and  returning  nothing  to  it.  These  poor  lands 
when  "  turned  out "  grow  good  pine,  and  oak  timber  on  the 
higher  parts,  and  poplar  and  other  woods  in  and  around  the 
gulleys. 

The  lands  on  the  sides  of  the  ridges  sloping  gradually  down 
to  the  rivers,  present  evidence  of  greater  fertility,  especially 
as  they  reach  what  is  known  as  the  "  river  bottom  lands." 
These  lower  sections  were  early  selected  by  the  wealthiest 
planters,  whose  holdings  were  generally  large,  and  whose 
dwelling  houses  were  commensurate  with  their  wealth  and 
prosperity.  Some  of  these  old  time  dwelling  houses  are  fine 
specimens  of  the  architecture  and  splendor  of  their  period. 
There  are  several  of  these  old  time  dwellings  yet  standing 
along  the  James,  York,  Potomac  and  Rappahannock  rivers. 
Among  the  number  is  "  Stratford,"  the  birthplace  of  General 
Robert  E.  Lee,  in  Westmoreland  County.  This  dwelling  and 
many  of  the  outhouses — former  servants  quarters — are  built 
of  brick,  and  arc  yet  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  From 
the  upper  part  of  this  dwelling  house  a  beautiful  view  can  be 
had  of  the  Potomac  River,  and  surrounding  streams,  and 
woodlands.  The  original  tract  contained  nearly  3000  acres. 
A  part  of  it  is  yet  in  the  possession  of  a  descendant  of  the 
Lee  family.  There  are  no  remains  of  the  dwellings  in  which 
either  Washington,  Monroe  or  Madison  were  born.  Along 
the  James  are  Westover,  Sherley,  Lower  Brandon  and  other 


20  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

well-known  plantations.  The  ancient  and  the  modern  life  is 
seen  almost  side  by  side  in  old  Virginia.  In  contrast  with 
the  log  cabins  and  slab  houses  above  mentioned  and  the 
stately  colonial  mansions,  there  can  be  seen  prettily  designed 
and  costly  dwellings,  some  of  which  have  the  most  modern 
appliances  for  comfort  and  convenience.  Throughout  the 
whole  of  Tidewater  Virginia  since  the  Civil  War,  there  have 
been  very  great  improvements  in  the  manner  of  tilling  the 
soil,  also  in  the  diversity  of  crops,  and  in  the  erection  of 
better  dwellings  for  the  poorer  classes  of  its  inhabitants. 
The  improvements  in  agriculture  have  brought  about  a  diver- 
sity of  occupation  for  the  laboring  people,  who  now  find 
abundant  and  lucrative  employment  in  the  raising  of  "  truck/' 
fruits  and  oysters.  The  canning  industry  is  extensively  con- 
ducted throughout  the  Northern  Neck  in  nearly  every  portion 
convenient  to  the  navigable  streams,  as  transportation  by 
water  is  the  only  means  by  which  these  products  can  reach 
the  outside  markets  from  the  several  counties  now  comprising 
this  "Neck." 

Of  Tidewater  Virginia  it  might  be  said: 

It  lies  prone  and  quiet,  far  below  the  high-peaked  moun- 
tains. 

The  contour  and  the  shape  of  Tidewater  Virginia,  especially 
of  the  salt  water  section,  contain  nothing  akin  to  the  tempest 
scarred  and  rugged  mountain  scenery  of  the  interior  of  this 
continent.  On  the  contrary,  it  lies  prone  and  quiet,  far  be- 
low the  high-peaked  mountains  and  their  offspring,  the  low 
hills,  which  nature  in  its  most  violent  efforts  forced  from  the 
mountain  side.  Its  gradual  formation  gently  forced  back  the 
deep  waters  of  the  Atlantic  from  their  beds,  and  made  land 
appear  where  before  was  a  watery  waste.  The  lowlands  of 
Virginia  are  but  the  offspring  of  the  mountains  in  their 
mighty  contests  with  nature's  elements — the  frosts,  and  snows, 
and  rains  of  uncounted  centuries.  The  mountain  streams 
find  their  outlet  to  the  tidal  waters  at  the  "falls"  of  the 


THE   PENINSULAS    OF   TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  21 

several  rivers.  They  are  the  tears  of  joy  which  trickle  down 
the  mountain's  face  as  it  views  from  its  high  peaks  the  ver- 
dure, quiet,  and  beauty  of  its  lowland  offspring.  The  numer- 
ous streams  throughout  Tidewater  Virginia  can  be  made  to 
produce  as  much  wealth  as  can  be  produced  from  its  lands. 
Oysters  of  the  finest  flavor,  and  fish  of  nearly  every  edible 
species  are  found  in  its  waters.  Many  of  these  streams  wind 
their  tortuous  way  far  into  the  interior  of  the  many  little 
peninsulas.  They  add  a  charm  to  the  landscape  as  they 
sharply  turn  a  point  of  land,  and  hide  beyond  it  to  appear 
again  farther  away.  To  follow  them  in  their  gambols,  one 
has  only  to  seek  some  high  point  of  land  and  he  is  charmed 
by  the  sight  which  nature  in  her  freak  of  jollity  has  bestowed 
to  this  section  of  America.  The  forests  are  composed  mainly 
of  pine,  which  always  carry  an  emerald  hue  upon  their  boughs, 
and  thus  form  a  pleasing  sight  during  the  winter  months  in 
comparison  with  the  harder  woods  which  shed  their  leaves  in 
autumn,  and  shiver  in  their  bare  limbs  during  the  chilly 
winter,  until  spring  in  its  compassionate  mood  grants  them 
cover  and  makes  them  again  things  of  beauty. 


CHAPTEE  III 
The  Indians  of  Virginia 


When  America  was  discovered,  there  were  at  least  three 
distinct  conditions  of  life  amongst  the  Indian  tribes  inhabit- 
ing North  America.  The  least  advanced  tribes  were  those  in 
the  valley  of  the  Columbia,  in  the  Hudson  Bay  Territory,  in 
parts  of  Canada,  California,  and  Mexico.  The  use  and  art  of 
pottery,  and  the  cultivation  of  gardens,  or  fields  were  unknown 
to  these  tribes. 

The  second,  or  intermediate  class  were  those  who  subsisted 
upon  fish,  game,  and  the  products  of  a  limited  cultivation  of 
the  soil.  Many  of  them  lived  in  stockaded  villages.  Such 
were  the  tribes  of  Virginia  and  New  England,  and  the 
Creeks,  Choctaws,  Shawnees,  Miamis,  and  others  east  of  the 
Missouri  River,  and  certain  tribes  in  Mexico. 

The  third  class  were  the  tribes  who  depended  upon  horti- 
culture for  subsistence,  cultivating  maize  and  plants  by  irri- 
gation. They  constructed  joint  tenement  houses  of  adobe 
bricks  and  stone,  and  lived  together  in  villages.  Such  tribes 
were  found  in  New  Mexico  and  Mexico. 

The  Indians  whom  the  colonists  first  met  in  Virginia  and 
with  whom  they  had  to  deal  later  on,  were  members  of  the 
Powhatan  Confederacy,  a  part  of  the  Algonquin  stock  whose 
tribes  extended  from  Cape  Hatteras  to  Newfoundland. 

The  Powhatan  Confederacy  inhabited  the  Virginia  tide- 
water section  from  the  sea  coast  westward  to  the  falls  of  the 
rivers  James,  Rappahannock,  and  Potomac,  extending  into 
the  tidewater  section  of  Maryland  as  far  north  as  the  Patux- 

[22] 


THE   INDIANS   OF   VIRGINIA  23 

ent  River,  and  southward  to  Carolina.  It  was  composed  of 
between  thirty  and  forty  tribes,  the  far  greater  number  ol 
whom  were  women  and  children.  Accidents  incident  to 
hunting  wild  animals,  and  the  frequent  warring  between 
tribes  decimated  the  ranks  of  the  men.  In  the  wars  the 
women  and  children  were  usually  taken  captive  to  become  a 
part  of  the  victorious  tribe. 

Each  of  the  tribes  was  governed  by  inferior  kings — Wero- 
wances — who  paid  tribute  from  the  products  of  the  chase,  and 
of  the  soil  to  the  great  chief,  or  emperor,  called  Powhatan, 
whose  subjects  they  and  all  their  tribe  were  to  his  will. 

The  Powhatan,  known  to  history,  was  between  sixty  and 
seventy  years  of  age  when  the  first  colony  reached  Virginia. 
He  was  tall  and  powerfully  built,  and  able  to  endure  much 
fatigue.  He  was  a  man  of  exceptional  valor  and  judgment, 
though  tyrannous  in  his  commands,  and  cruel  in  his  punish- 
ments. He  caused  the  heads  of  those  who  offended  him  "  to 
be  laid  upon  the  altar  or  sacrificing  stone  and  their  brains 
beaten  out  with  clubs;"  others  were  tied  to  a  tree,  and  their 
joints  cut  off  with  oyster  or  clam  shells,  and  their  skin 
scraped  from  their  head  and  face,  and  their  bodies  ripped 
open  and  burned.1 

1  In  passing  it  is  well  to  note  some  of  the  practices  among 
Europeans  at  the  opening  of  the  17th  century  and  to  compare 
with  the  Indian  cruelties.  Women  were  dragged  about  in 
public  and  ducked  in  ponds  or  rivers  at  the  risk  of  their  lives 
because  they  scolded  or  complained  of  their  hardships  and  bad 
treatment.  Men  were  imprisoned  for  debts  which  they  could 
not  pay,  or  condemned  to  die  for  their  refusal  or  neglect  to 
profess  a  religion  which  they  could  not  believe  In.  Hell's  fire, 
was  constantly  kept  in  the  mind's  view  of  the  young  and  the  old, 
while  the  pure  love  of  God,  and  of  man  too  often  was  trampled 
into  the  deep  mire  by  superstitious  teachers.  The  insane  were 
believed  to  be  possessed  of  the  devil,  and  Instead  of  receiving 
humane  treatment  they  were  chained  to  the  floor  in  garrets  or 
other  Isolated  places.  Stocks  for  punishment  wore  in  evidence 
wherever  courts  of  law  were  held,  and  men  were  nailed  to  these 


24  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

Powhatan  lived  in  savage  splendor  surrounded  by  as  many 
women  as  he  willed :  "  whereof  when  he  lieth  on  his  bed  one 
sitteth  at  his  head,  and  another  at  his  feet,  but  when  he 
sitteth,  one  (woman)  sitteth  on  his  right  hand  and  another 
on  his  left,  when  he  dineth  or  suppeth,  one  of  his  women 
before  and  after  meal,  brought  him  water  in  a  wooden  plat- 
ter to  wash  his  hands.  Another  waiteth  with  a  bunch  of 
feathers  to  wipe  them  instead  of  a  towel,  and  the  feathers 
when  he  hath  wiped  are  dried  again.  As  he  is  weary  of  his 
women  he  bestows  them  on  those  that  best  deserve  them  at 
his  hands."  He  was  usually  attended  by  a  guard  of  forty 
or  fifty  of  the  tallest  men  found  in  his  kingdom,  and  at  night 
his  dwelling  place  was  guarded  with  sentinels  who  "  every 
half  hour  shouted  while  shaking  their  lips  with  the  fingers 
between."  Part  of  the  territory  over  which  he  ruled  came  to 
him  by  inheritance,  the  greater  part  by  conquest.  The  rule 
of  descent  of  his  government  was,  upon  his  death,  first  to  his 
brethren,  and  after  that  to  his  sisters,  and  then  to  the  heirs, 
male  or  female  of  the  eldest  sister.  In  all  his  ancient  inheri- 
tances he  had  houses  built  for  his  entertainment.  Powhatan 
died  in  April,  1618,  and  was  buried  at  the  place  known  as 
Powhatan,  on  the  James  Eiver. 

The  habitations  of  the  Virginia  Indians  were  built  like 
arbors,  of  small  young  saplings  bowed  and  tied,  and  covered 
with  mats  of  rushes,  or  the  bark  of  trees  "  very  handsomely, 
that  notwithstanding  either  wind,  rain,  or  weather,  they  are 
warm  as  stoves,  but  very  smoky,  yet  at  the  top  of  the  house 
there  is  a  hole  made  for  the  smoke  to  go  into  right  over  the 


instruments  of  torture  within  the  public  gaze  to  add  to  their 
punishment  by  becoming  the  laughing  stock  of  passersby. 
Men's  ears  were  cropped  from  their  head,  thereby  forever 
fastening  upon  them  a  mark  of  disgrace  to  carry  to  their  death, 
and  much  of  these  cruelties  were  inflicted  for  deeds  such  as 
are  at  present  day  admitted  by  the  intelligent  as  so  trivial  that 
no  provision  of  law  is  deemed  necessary  for  their  prevention. 


THE   INDIANS   OF   VIRGINIA  25 

fire."  Houses  were  built  in  the  midst  of  their  fields  or  gar- 
dens, or  by  the  river  side,  "  not  far  distant  from  some  fresh 
spring."  The  shell  banks  upon  the  shores  of  the  tidewaters 
indicate  the  sites  of  the  former  Indian  villages. 

Their  fire  was  kindled  by  friction  by  rapidly  revolving 
between  the  palms  of  the  hands  a  pointed  stick  pressed 
within  a  hole  in  a  block  of  wood,  surrounded  by  dry  moss,  or 
leaves :  "  Against  the  fire  they  lie  on  little  hurdles  of  reeds 
covered  with  a  mat,  borne  from  the  ground  a  foot  or  more  by 
a  hurdle  of  wood.  On  these  round  about  the  house  they  lie 
heads  and  points  one  by  the  other  against  the  fire,  some  cov- 
ered with  mats,  some  with  skins,  and  some  stark  naked  lie 
en  the  ground,  from  6  to  20  in  a  house." 

The  Indians  lived  chiefly  by  hunting,  together  with  the 
products  of  the  water,  supplemented  by  the  products  of  the 
soil  which  consisted  mainly  of  corn  and  pumpkins,  together 
with  the  roots  of  artichoke — Tochnough.  An  old  writer 
said :  "  It  is  strange  to  see  how  their  bodies  alter  with  their 
diet,  even  as  the  deer  and  wild  beast  they  seem  fat  and  lean, 
strong  and  weak.  Powhatan,  their  great  king,  and  some 
others  that  are  provident,  roast  their  fish  and  flesh  upon 
hurdles,  and  keep  it  until  scarce  times.  If  any  great 
commander  arrive  at  the  habitation  of  a  Werowance  (king 
of  a  tribe),  they  spread  a  mat  as  do  the  Turks,  for  a  carpet 
for  him  to  sit  upon.  Upon  another  right  opposite  they  sit 
themselves.  Then  do  all  with  a  terrible  voice  of  shouting 
bid  him  welcome.  After  this  do  two  or  more  of  their  chiefest 
men  make  an  oration,  testifying  their  love,  which  they  do 
with  such  vehemency,  and  so  great  passions,  that  they  sweat 
till  they  drop,  and  arc  so  out  of  breath  they  can  scarce 
speak.  So  that  a  man  would  take  them  to  be  exceeding 
angry,  or  stark  mad.  Such  victual  as  they  have,  they  spend 
freely,  and  at  nighl  where  his  lodging  is  appointed  they  set 
a  woman  fresh  painted  red  with  Pocones  and  oyle  to  be  hie 
bed  fellov 


26  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

The  men  spent  their  time  in  fishing,  hunting,  and  in 
warring  upon  one  another,  "  scorning  to  be  seen  in  any 
womanlike  exercise,  which  is  the  cause  that  the  women  be 
very  painfull,  and  the  men  idle."  The  women  planted  and 
tended  the  crops,  pounded  the  corn,  made  mats,  pots,  baskets, 
and  bore  all  the  burdens  of  labor.  The  mothers  were  fond 
of  their  children  and  never  punished  them,  hoping  thereby 
they  would  grow  to  be  brave  and  courageous.  To  make 
them  hardy,  they  were  bathed  in  the  rivers  during  all  seasons 
of  the  year,  and  their  bodies  painted  and  anointed  with 
oils  or  grease. 

Their  clothing  consisted  of  loose  mantles  of  turkey 
feathers,  or  the  skins  of  wild  animals,  and  aprons  of  the  same 
material  bound  about  the  lower  body.  The  less  provident 
were  covered  with  mats  of  rushes,  grass  or  leaves.  Their 
feet  in  winter  were  covered  with  deer  skins.  The  women 
tattooed  their  faces,  breast,  arms,  and  legs  with  shapes  of 
beasts  and  serpents.  In  their  ears  some  had  holes  to  hang 
chains  or  bracelets.  In  these  holes  some  wore  a  small  green, 
or  }rellow  snake,  which  lapped  itself  about  their  neck,  often 
coming  in  contact  with  the  lips  of  the  wearers.  Their  heads 
and  shoulders  when  in  full  dress  were  painted  red  with 
Pocone. 

During  the  late  fall  and  winter  months,  they  left  their 
habitations  by  the  rivers  and  separating  into  companies  of  a 
hundred  or  more,  they  built  arbors  for  shelter  in  the  forests, 
and  lived  by  hunting.  During  these  journeys,  the  women 
carried  all  the  supplies  and  built  the  shelters  while  the  men 
hunted. 

Their  manner  of  hunting  deer  was  to  surround  the  drove 
with  many  fires,  and  betwixt  the  fires  were  stationed  men  who 
shouted  and  scared  the  animals  into  the  circle,  where  they 
were  chased  by  the  hunters.  Where  it  was  convenient  and 
possible,  the  deer  were  driven  into  some  narrow  point  of  land 
and  forced  into  the  river  where  the  hunters  lay  in  wait  in 


THE   INDIANS    OF   VIRGINIA  27 

boats  to  shoot  them  with  arrows,  or  to  kill  them  with  clubs.1 
The  principal  weapons  of  the  Indians  were  clubs  of  hard 
knotty  wood,  or  a  stone  sharpened  at  both  ends  and  secured 
by  deer  thongs  to  a  handle,  swords  from  the  horn  of  a  deer 
put  through  a  hole  in  a  piece  of  wood  in  the  form  of  a  pick- 
axe, and  the  bow  and  arrows  which  all  the  tribes  in  North 
America  carried.  The  arrows  were  made  of  straight,  young 
tough  sprigs,  headed  with  bone  two  or  three  inches  long. 
These  they  use  for  hunting  small  game.  The  better  sort 
were  made  of  reeds  pieced  with  wood,  and  headed  with 
splinters  of  flinty  stone,  the  spurs  of  a  turkey,  or  the  bill  of 
some  large  bird,  fastened  thereon  with  glue  made  by  boiling 
the  tips  of  deer  horns  to  a  jelly.  With  the  bow  and  arrow, 
their  best  shots  could  hit  the  mark  on  the  level  about  forty 
yards,  and  their  arrows  could  be  shot  at  random  about  120 
yards  by  pointing  well  upward.  For  a  knife,  they  used  a 
piece  of  reed  rubbed  to  a  sharp  point;  with  this  implement 
they  could  unjoint  a  deer,  shape  the  skin  for  moccasins  or 
mantel,  and  for  such  other  purposes. 

The  Indians  deified  all  things  which  could  harm  them  be- 
yond prevention,  as  fire,  water,  lightning,  thunder,  winds. 

xIt  is  well  at  this  point  to  recall  how  the  English  in  colonial 
days  hunted  deer.  The  common  method  was  by  "  driving " 
them.  When  the  hunt  began,  men  were  stationed  with  guns  at 
certain  places — "stands" — to  the  leeward  of  the  locality  of  the 
deer's  lair,  or  where  they  were  supposed  to  be  feeding.  The 
hunters  in  charge  of  the  hounds  advanced  from  the  windward 
side  so  that  the  animals  would  scent  them,  and  so  force  the  deer, 
in  their  attempts  to  escape,  to  run  to  the  leeward  "  stands,"  with- 
out being  able  to  scent  the  men  stationed  there.  When  the  air 
was  so  calm  that  the  "  windward  "  and  "  leeward  "  could  not  be 
determined  by  its  motion,  a  hunter  would  place  his  middle  finger 
in  his  mouth  long  enough  to  moisten  and  warm  it,  and  then  hold 
it  aloft,  and  the  part  which  first  became  chilled  would  indicate 
the  windward  side. 


28  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 


"  Through  God  begetting  feare, 
Man's  blinded  minde  did  reare, 
A  hell  God  to  the  ghosts; 
A  heaven  God  to  the  hoasts; 
Yea!  God  unto  the  seas; 
Fear  did  create  all  these." 

Their  chief  (Joel  was  fashioned  after  their  own  form, 
carved  from  wood,  painted  and  adorned  with  such  trinkets 
as  they  could  make  for  him.  He  was  kept  in  sacred  houses 
remote  from  the  resident  villages,  which  priests  and  kings 
only  were  permitted  to  visit. 

These  houses  were  also  the  sepulchres  of  their  kings  whose 
bodies  were  first  boweled,  then  dried,  lapped  in  skins  and 
rolled  in  mats,  with  their  trinkets  set  at  their  feet  in  baskets. 
For  ordinary  burials,  holes  were  dug  in  the  earth  with  sharp 
stakes,  and  sticks  placed  therein  on  which  the  bodies  were 
laid  covered  with  skins  or  mats,  and  the  graves  filled  with 
earth.  ' 

After  the  burial,  the  women  painted  their  faces  with  char- 
coal and  grease  or  oil,  and  mourned  for  twenty-four  hours 
by  turns  crying  and  yelling  to  express  their  grief.1 

The  priests  and  conjurers  were  selected  from  amongst 
those  who  as  children  were  subjected  to  the  yearly  sacrifice  of 
children,  by  being  forced  to  run  through  a  lane  on  which 
men  were  stationed  on  both  sides  with  reeds,  who  beat  each 

1  It  is  humorously  related  that  it  was  the  custom  of  a  certain 
tribe  at  the  burial  of  one  of  their  members  for  each  of  the  males 
to  pass  around  the  grave  and  drop  a  clod  of  earth  upon  it  and  say 
something  of  the  good  qualities  of  the  dead.  Upon  the  occasion 
of  the  death  of  one  of  this  tribe  who  was  despised  because  of 
his  meanness,  the  members  assembled  as  was  usual,  and  each 
one  passed  around  the  grave,  and  dropped  his  clod  of  earth  in 
silence.  The  chief  whose  duty  it  was  to  close  the  ceremonies 
picked  up  a  handful  of  earth,  and  with  solemn  voice  exclaimed, 
as  he  hurled  the  dirt  with  force  upon  the  grave,  "  My  brother 
was  a  good  smoker." 


THE    INDIANS    OF   VIRGINIA  29 

child  as  he  was  escorted  therefrom  by  young  men  chosen  for 
the  purpose,  after  which  they  were  kept  nine  months  "  in  the 
wilderness  "  under  the  charge  of  the  young  men,  "  during 
which  time  they  must  not  converse  with  any."  Many  of  the 
children  died  from  their  wounds  and  exposure.  This  sacrifice 
was  held  to  be  so  necessary,  "  that  if  omitted  their  Okee  or 
Devil,  and  their  other  Gods  would  let  them  have  no  Deere, 
Turkies,  Corne,  nor  fish."  Such  ceremony  as  this  was  per- 
formed in  1608,  by  one  of  the  tribes  within  ten  miles  of 
Jamestown. 

"  Their  devotion  was  most  in  songs  which  the  chief  priest 
beginneth  and  the  rest  followed  him,  sometimes  he  maketh 
invocations  with  broken  sentences  by  starts  and  strange  pas- 
sions, and  at  every  pause  the  rest  give  a  short  groane." 

They  observed  no  day  more  sacred  than  another.  They 
had  solemnities  in  times  of  great  distress  of  sickness  or  want 
of  food,  fear  of  enemies,  times  of  triumph,  and  gathering  of 
their  harvests.  At  such  times,  they  usually  make  a  great 
fire,  "  and  sing  and  dance  about  it  with  rattles  and  shouts 
together,  four  or  five  hours.  Sometimes  they  set  a  man  in 
the  midst,  and  about  him  they  dance  and  sing,  he  all  the 
while  clapping  his  hands,  as  if  he  would  keep  time,  and  after 
their  songs  and  dancings  ended  they  goe  to  their  feasts." 

The  leading  tribe  of  the  Powhatan  Confederacy  was  that 
from  which  the  Pamunkey  River  takes  its  name.  The  chief 
of  this  tribe  at  the  date  of  the  final  settlement  at  Jamestown 
was  Opechancanough,  the  eldest  brother  of  Powhatan,  and  his 
successor  after  his  death.  This  chief  was  a  man  of  remark- 
able skill  and  ability  as  a  ruler.  It  was  he  who  made  the 
famous  capture  of  Captain  John  Smith  while  hunting  with 
his  tribe  up  the  Chickahominy  River;  and  it  was  he  who 
planned  the  massacre  of  the  colony  in  1622.  His  principal 
scat  was  on  the  peninsula,  or  point  of  land  where  "West  Point, 
King  William  County,  is  now  situated,  between  the  Mattaponi 
and  Pamunkey  rivers,  at  the  head  of  York  River,  which 
these  two  streams  form. 


30  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Notwithstanding  Opechancanough's  prowess  as  a  warrior, 
and  though  surrounded  by  his  whole  tribe,  Captain  John 
Smith  on  the  occasion  of  a  visit  to  his  seating  place,  to  pro- 
cure corn  for  the  colony,  when  he  discovered  this  chief  was 
attempting  to  betray  him,  seized  Opechancanough  by  the  hair, 
and  pointing  a  pistol  at  his  head  forced  him  before  all  his 
warriors  to  the  humiliation  of  compelling  his  men  to  throw 
down  their  arms  and  load  Smith's  boats  with  corn.  After 
the  massacre  of  the  whites,  this  chief  was  captured,  and  while 
a  prisoner  at  Jamestown  was  basely  shot  and  killed  by  one 
of  his  white  guards. 

Directly  opposite  "  White  House  Landing/'  where  George 
Washington  courted  the  widow  Custis,  who  afterwards  be- 
came his  bride,  is  the  Pamunkey  Indian  Eeservation,  known 
as  "  Indian  Town."  The  settlement  is  about  a  mile  east  of 
the  White  House,  across  the  Pamunkey  Eiver,  distant  about 
twenty-one  miles  east  of  Eichmond  City,  immediately  on  the 
line  of  the  York  Eiver  division  of  the  Southern  Eailway.  It 
comprises  about  eight  hundred  acres,  ceded  to  the  tribe  by 
the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia.  About  one-third  of  the 
reservation  is  good  farming  land;  the  remainder  consists  of 
woods  and  swamp,  which  up  to  a  few  years  ago  was  well 
stocked  with  game,  such  as  deer,  raccoons,  opossums,  otter, 
muskrats,  birds,  turkeys,  and  wild  geese  and  ducks  in  the 
fall  and  spring,  during  their  migrations.  Adjacent  to  the 
reservation  are  several  large  marshes  in  the  Painunkey  Eiver, 
which  up  to  recent  years  were  used  as  commons  by  these 
people  for  the  hunt.  These  marshes  are  now  held  by  the 
adjacent  land  owners  who  use  them  as  private  grounds,  or 
rent  them  to  associations,  or  clubs  of  city  men,  thus  curtail- 
ing the  privileges  heretofore  granted  this  tribe. 

The  writer,  during  a  visit  to  this  reservation  in  August, 
1906,  was  informed  by  their  chief,  that  the  privilege  here- 
tofore granted  of  hunting  upon  the  wooded  lands  of  private 
property  adjacent  to  their  reservation  is  also  curtailed,  and 


THE    INDIANS    OF   VIRGINIA  31 

because  of  these  changes  many  of  their  young  men  seek  em- 
ployment outside  the  reservation,  especially  during  the  fish- 
ing season,  in  the  Northern  Lakes,  and  the  sea  coast  and  its 
adjacent  waters.'  "  With  the  money  saved  in  these  employ- 
ments/5 said  he,  "  they  usually  return  here  and  build,  or  pur- 
chase dwelling  houses  for  their  use  upon  the  lands  allotted 
them." 

Their  chief  occupations  are  hunting,  fishing,  and  the  cul- 
tivation of  truck  patches  and  corn  for  their  own  uses.  They 
also  find  employment  as  guides  to  hunting  and  fishing 
parties  around  the  Pamunkey  and  Mattaponi  rivers  and 
vicinities.  In  the  autumn  season  sora  are  plentiful  in  the 
marshes  of  these  inland  rivers  of  Virginia.  The  Indian 
method  of  capturing  sora  at  night  is  by  building  a  bright 
fire  in  a  "  sora  horse."  This  implement  is  made  of  strips  of 
iron  fashioned  in  the  form  of  a  peach  basket.  They  were 
formerly  made  of  clay,  like  a  deep  platter.  When  in  use, 
the  "horse"  is  mounted  on  a  pole  which  is  stuck  in  the 
marsh  or  placed  upright  in  the  bateau.  A  fire  of  pine  light 
wood  knots  is  then  kindled  in  the  "horse."  The  bright 
flames  attract  the  sora,  and  as  they  fly  around  it,  the  Indians 
knock  them  down  with  paddles. 

The  reservation  belongs  to  the  tribe  as  a  whole.  There 
is  no  individual  ownership  of  land.  Improvements,  such  as 
houses,  are  individual  property,  to  be  bought  and  sold  at 
pleasure.  Land  is  allotted  to  each  head  of  a  family,  to  be 
his  generally  for  life  unless  a  new  division  is  necessary  to 
provide  for  others.  The  tribe  is  restrained  by  the  terms  of 
the  grant  from  alienating  the  land.  The  reservation  is  not 
taxed  by  the  State,  but  the  chief  presents  an  annual  tribute 
of  wild  turkeys,  geese,  or  ducks,  to  the  Governor  of  Vir- 
ginia. The  State  maintains  a  free  6chool  on  the  reservation 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Indian  children.  They  receive  no 
other  aid  from  the  State  or  National  Government.  The 
writer  upon  inquiry  of  their  chief  in  August,  1906,  was  in- 


32  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

formed  that  there  were  one  hundred  and  sixty-one  members, 
men,  women,  and  children  belonging  to  the  reservation. 
None  but  those  of  Indian  blood  are  permitted  to  reside  within 
its  limits.  The}'  are  quiet,  orderly  people  and  are  all  mem- 
bers of  the  one  small  frame  Baptist  church,  where  hangs  the 
picture  of  Pocahontas  above  the  pulpit.  It  is  said  there  has 
been  a  considerable  intermixture  of  white  blood,  and  some 
little  of  the  negro  in  the  tribe,  and  that  therefore  because  of 
the  many  intermarriages  there  is  no  member  of  full  Indian 
blood. 

Their  present  chief,  George  M.  Cook,  whose  Indian  name 
is  "  Cayatayita,"  is  dignified  and  genteel  in  appearance,  and 
has  the  distinguishing  marks  of  the  Indian,  in  his  copper- 
colored  skin,  and  long,  straight,  black  hair  and  eyes. 

In  his  family  he  maintains  the  English  Christian  names, 
and  the  Indian  names  for  each  of  his  children,  as  given  the 
writer : 

English  name.  Indian  name. 

T.  0.  Cook  Mina-Ha-Ha 

Major  T.  Cook  Eed  Shirt 

Otigney  Pontiac  Cook  Pontiac 

George  T.  Cook  Iron  Bull 

Tecumseh  Deerfoot  Cook  Tecumseh 

Captola  Eulalia  Cook  Captola 

Theodora  Cook  Minnie-Ha-Ha 

Pocahontas  Cook.  Pocahontas. 

They  know  but  few  words  of  the  ancient  tongue  of  their 
forefathers.  Their  houses  are  frame,  weather-boarded  struc- 
tures, one  and  a  half  or  two  stories  high.  They  dress  as  the 
whites,  but  are  fond  of  gaudy  colors.  They  make  some 
articles  of  clay  which  is  found  a  few  feet  beneath  the  surface 
within  the  reservation.  The  writer  was  given  several  clay 
pipes  fashioned  in  the  form  of  tomahawks,  moccasins,  and 


Rope  Ferry  over  Mattaponi    River,  from  West   Point,   King  William  Co., 

Va.,    tr>    "  Shackleford's    Landing,   in    King  and    Queen  Co., 

conveying  the  United  States  Mail  and  Passengers. 

Within  about  two  miles  of  this  ferry  in  King  William  County,  was  the  seat  of  Opechancanough,  King 

of  the  Pamunkey  Indians,  and  brother  of   Powhatan.     This  ferry  is  within  two  miles  of  West  Point. 

the    Mattaponi   ami    Pamunkey    rivers   ioin    to    form    the   York   river. 


Ruin,   of    "White    House,"    on     Painunke v    River,    Virginia. 
Here  lived  the  W  i  ton.     A  glimpse  ol  the  Pamxi 

River  to  the  right.  Pamunke)  Indian  B  the  rivel 


THE    IN»LA.Ng    QF   TIROINli  33 

hatchets.  Another  article  of  interest  made  of  clay  is  the 
"  pipe  of  joy."  In  the  bowl  of  this  pipe  are  five  holes  made 
for  the  insertion  of  five  stems,  one  for  the  chief  and  one  for 
each  of  the  four  councilmen.  The  smoking  of  a  pipe  during 
a  peace  conference  was  an  ancient  custom  amongst  the 
Indians. 

There  is  a  ferry  within  nine  or  ten  miles  of  the  reservation 
known  as  "  Piping  Tree  "  ferry.  It  is  tradition  that  at  this 
place  the  whites,  and  Indians  of  this  tribe  met  and  formed 
a  treaty,  and  at  its  conclusion  as  usual,  the  pipe  was  passed 
from  mouth  to  mouth  for  each  to  take  a  puff  as  evidence  of 
good  faith  and  friendship,  after  which  the  pipe  was  deposited 
in  a  hollow  tree  near  by  the  river's  side.  In  after  time  when 
disagreements  arose  because  of  the  whites  failing  to  live  up 
to  their  agreement,  the  Indians  would  remind  them  of  "  pipe- 
in-tree." 

At  the  date  of  settlement  at  Jamestown,  in  1607,  the 
Pamunkey  tribe  was  the  largest  of  all  the  several  tribes  com- 
posing the  Powhatan  Confederacy  which  dominated  Tide- 
water Virginia,  and  it  had  to  contend  for  its  supremacy 
mainly  with  the  two  other  great  tribes  who  lived  on  the  head 
waters  of  the  three  largest  streams  of  Tidewater  Virginia, 
namely,  the  Monocans  who  occupied  the  territory  of  the 
upper  James  River,  beyond  the  falls,  and  the  Mannahoacs  who 
occupied  the  head  waters  of  the  Rappahannock  and  Potomac 
rivers. 

The  Pamunkey  tribe  is  governed  by  a  chief  together  with  a 
council  of  four  men.  The  chief  was  formerly  elected  for  life, 
but  now  both  chief  and  council  are  elected  to  serve  four 
years,  by  vote  of  the  male  citizens  of  the  tribe.  When  the 
i1    lion  of  a  chi<  i  be  had,  the  council  names  two  can- 

didates to  be  voted  for.  Those  favoring  candidate  "Number 
1"  indicate  their  choice  by  depositing  a  grain  of  corn  in  the 
ballot  box  at  the  Bchool  house,  while  those  who  favor  the 
election  of  candidate  "Number  2"  must  deposit  a  bean  in 
3 


34  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

the  same  place.     The  candidate  for  whom  the  largest  number 
of  beans,  or  of  grains  of  corn  is  cast  is  declared  chosen. 

The  State  of  Virginia  appoints  five  trustees  who  have  the 
right  of  approval  or  disapproval  of  the  Indian  code  of  laws. 
The  legislative  and  judicial  powers  are  performed  by  the 
chief,  together  with  the  council.  In  the  judicial  proceedings 
the  chief  acts  more  the  part  of  judge,  and  the  council  the 
part  of  jury.  The  chief  and  council  try  all  the  cases  of  in- 
fringements of  the  law,  and  settle  all  disputes  between  mem- 
bers of  the  tribe.  Their  jurisdiction  extends  to  all  cases 
arising  on  the  reservation,  and  which  concern  only  the 
residents  thereon,  with  the  exception  of  trial  for  homicide, 
in  which  the  offender  would  be  arraigned  before  the  County 
Court  of  King  William  County.  The  following  extracts  in- 
dicate something  of  their  intelligence  in  law  making: 

"  1st.  Res.  No  member  of  the  Pamunkey  tribe  shall  inter- 
marry with  any  Nation  except  White  or  Indian  under  penalty 
of  forfeiting  their  rights  in  Town." 

"  5th.  Anny  party  or  person  found  guilty  of  stealing 
annything  belonging  to  annyone  else  they  shall  pay  the  party 
for  the  ami  that  are  stolen  from  them  and  also  shall  be  fined 
from  $1  to  $5.  3rd  time  they  are  to  be  removed  from  the 
place." 

"  9th.  Be  it  known  that  all  the  citizens  age  16  to  60  of 
Indian  Town  shall  work  on  the  road  as  far  as  red  hill  and 
anny  member  refuse  to  work  shall  be  fined  75c.  and  Jacob 
Miles  to  be  Road  Master  and  he  to  be  paid  $1  pr  year." 

"  14th.  If  anny  person  owning  a  piece  of  land  and  do  not 
build  and  live  upon  it  in  18  m  it  shall  be  considered  as  town 
property  and  the  person  shall  be  allowed  20  days  to  move 
what  they  has  thereon  off ;  then  it  shall  be  considered  as  Town 
Property  and  the  Town  can  allow  anyone  else  the  same 
privilege  under  the  above  obligations." 

"  15th.     Anny  person  that  become  rude  and  corrupt  and 


THE    INDIANS    01"    VIRGINIA  35 

refuse  to  be  submissive  to  the  Laws  of  Indian  Town  shall  be 
removed  by  the  Trustees,  chief  and  councilmen." 

"  18th.  An  Amendment  to  Resolution  all  male  citizens  of 
Indian  Town  from  18  year  upward  shall  pay  $1.00  per  year 
and  until  amt  is  paid  they  will  not  be  given  no  land." 

There  arc  twelve  or  fifteen  of  the  Chickahominy  tribe 
living  in  Virginia,  but  they  are  too  scattered  to  form  a 
tribal  organization. 


CHAPTER  IV 
The  Lost  Colony  of  Roanoke 


Before  the  first  permanent  settlement  was  made  at  James- 
town, Virginia,  several  prior  attempts  were  made  by  the 
English  to  form  permanent  settlements  in  America;  the 
most  notable  were  those  under  the  direction  and  through  the 
aid  of  Sir  Walter  Ealeigh.  The  history  of  these  attempts  to 
settle  in  America  are  interesting  stories  of  the  aboriginal 
inhabitants,  and  of  the  adventures  of  the  English  who 
attempted  to  settle  amongst  them  during  these  early  periods. 

In  1578  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  obtained  letters  patent  to 
settle  a  colony  in  Newfoundland.  He  made  another  effort  in 
1583  and  took  possession  of  the  harbor  of  St.  Johns — New- 
foundland.1 

The  next  attempt  was  through  Sir  "Walter  Ealeigh,  half 
brother  to  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert.  This  attempt  was  un- 
successful as  the  ships  after  a  few  days'  sail  had  to  return, 
owing  to  contagious  sickness  among  the  company  and  crew. 

In  1584,  Ealeigh  obtained  letters  patent  from  Queen 
Elizabeth  for  "  discovering  and  planting  any  such  Lands  and 
Countries,  as  were  not  already  in  the  actual  possession  of  any 
Christian  Nation."  Sir  Walter  Ealeigh  persuaded  "  Gen- 
tlemen and  Merchants  "  to  join  with  him  in  this  enterprise. 
Two  vessels  were  provided  and  put  under  command  of  Cap- 
tain Philip  Amidas  and  Arthur  Barlow.  On  April  27,  1584, 
they  set  sail  from  the  Thames  river,  and  on  July  2,  they 
reached  the  coast  then  known  as  "  Florida." 

As  Virginia  was  first  named  through  this  expedition,  some 

1  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  was  lost  at  sea  while  in  the  attempt 
to  return  to  England. 

[36] 


THE    LOST    COLONY    OF    ROANOKE  37 

incidents  in  connection  with  this  attempt  at  settlement  are 
given  from  Stith's  history  of  Virginia.  "They  (the  Eng- 
lish) landed  at  an  island  called  Wococon"  supposed  to  be 
Ocracock  island,  between  Cape  Hatteras  and  Cape  Fear,  N.  C. 
"  On  the  third  day  after  landing  they  saw  three  natives  in  a 
canoe.  One  of  them  went  ashore  and  waited  without  any 
signs  of  fear  'till  the  English  rowed  to  him.  He  spoke  much 
to  them  in  his  own  language,  and  then  went  boldly  aboard 
their  vessels.  They  gave  him  a  shirt,  a  hat,  wine  and  meat, 
with  which  he  was  much  pleased.  Having  attentively  viewed 
everything  he  went  away,  and  within  half  an  hour  he  loaded 
his  canoe  with  fish,  which  he  brought  and  divided  between 
the  ship  and  Bark.  The  next  day  several  canoes  came,  and 
in  one  of  them  the  king's  brother.  His  name  was  Granga- 
nameo,  the  King  was  called  Wingina,  and  the  country  (was 
called  by  the  English)   Wingandacoa." 

"  Leaving  his  canoes  he  went  to  a  point  of  land  where  the 
English  had  gone  the  day  before.  Having  spread  a  mat,  he 
sat  down  upon  it;  and  when  the  English  came  to  him  well 
armed,  he  showed  no  fear;  but  made  signs  for  them  to  sit 
down,  stroking  his  own  head  and  breast,  and  then  theirs,  to 
express  his  love. 

"  The  natives  were  a  proper,  well  proportioned  people, 
very  civil  in  their  behavior  and  highly  respectful  to  Granga- 
nameo.  For  none  of  them  sat  down,  or  spoke  a  word  in  his 
presence,  except  four;  on  whom  the  English  also  bestowed 
presents.  But  Granganameo  took  all  from  them,  and  made 
signs  that  everything  belonged  to  him.  After  some  small 
traffick  he  went  away.  Not  long  after  lie  brought  his  wife 
and  children.  They  were  of  mean  stature  but  well  formed, 
and  very  bashful  and  modest.  His  wife  had  a  hand  of  white 
coral  about  her  forehead,  and  bracelets  of  pearl  in  1km-  ears 
hanging  down  to  her  middle  of  the  bigness  of  large  peas,  the 
rest  were  decked  with  red  copper  and  such  ornaments  as  are 
at  present  in  fashion  among  [ndians. 


38  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

"  After  this,  there  came  from  all  parts,  great  numbers  of 
people,  with  leather,  coral  and  divers  kinds  of  dyes.  But 
when  Granganameo  was  present,  none  durst  trade  but  him- 
self and  those  who  wore  red  copper  on  their  heads,  as  he  did. 
He  was  just  to  his  promise,  for  they  often  trusted  him,  and 
he  never  failed  to  come  within  his  day  to  keep  his  word. 

"  He  commonly  sent  the  English  every  day  a  brace  of 
bucks,  conies,  hares  and  fish,  and  sometimes  melons,  walnuts, 
cucumbers,  peas  and  divers  kinds  of  roots. 

"  Capt.  Amidas  with  seven  more,  ventured  up  the  Eiver 
Occam,  as  they  call  it,  which  must  be  Pamlico  Sound.  The 
next  evening  they  came  to  the  Isle  of  Roanoke.  On  this 
island  they  found  a  small  town,  containing  nine  houses,  in 
one  of  which  Granganameo  lived.  He  was  absent;  but  his 
wife  entertained  them  with  wonderful  courtesy  and  kindness. 
She  made  some  of  her  people  draw  their  boat  up,  to  prevent 
it  being  injured  by  the  beating  of  the  surf ;  some  she  ordered 
to  bring  them  ashore  on  their  backs;  and  others  to  carry 
their  oars  to  the  house  for  fear  of  being  stolen.  When  they 
came  into  the  house,  she  took  off  their  clothes  and  stockings 
and  washed  them,  as  likewise  their  feet  in  warm  water. 
When  their  dinner  was  ready  they  were  conducted  into  ar\ 
inner  room  (for  there  were  five  in  the  house;  divided  by 
mats)  where  they  found  hominy,  boiled  venison,  and  roasted 
fish;  and  as  a  dessert,  melons,  boiled  roots  and  fruits  of 
various  sorts.  "While  they  were  at  meal  two  or  three  of  her 
men  came  in  with  their  bows  and  arrows,  which  made  the 
English  to  take  to"  their  arms.  But  she,  perceiving  their  dis- 
trust ordered  their  bows  and  arrows  to  be  broken  and  them- 
selves to  be  beaten  out  of  the  gate.  In  the  evening  the 
English  returned  to  their  boat  and  putting  a  little  off  from 
shore  lay  at  anchor,  at  which  she  was  much  concerned,  and 
brought  their  supper,  half  boiled,  pots  and  all  to  the  shore 
side;  and  seeing  their  jealousy,  she  ordered  several  men  and 
fifty  women  to  sit  all  night  upon  the  shore  as  a  guard,  and 


THE    L06T    COLONY    OF    KOAXOKE  39 

sent  five  mats  to  cover  them  from  the  weather.  In  short,  she 
omitted  nothing  that  the  most  generous  hospitality  and  hearty 
desire  of  pleasing  could  do,  to  entertain  them. 

"They  returned  to  England  about  the  middle  of  Sept., 
1584,  carrying  with  them  two  of  the  natives,  Manteo  and 
"Wanchese. 

"The  Queen  (Elizabeth)  herself  was  pleased  to  name  the 
country  '  Virginia '  in  memory  of  its  having  been  first  found 
in  the  reign  of  a  Virgin  Queen,  or  as  some  have  been  pleased 
to  gloss  and  interpret  it,  because  it  still  seemed  to  retain  the 
Virgin  Purity  and  Plenty  of  the  first  Creation,  and  the 
people  their  primitive  innocence  of  life  and  manners." 

When  the  English  asked  one  of  the  Indians  what  was  the 
name  of  his  country,  he  not  knowing  what  was  meant,  replied, 
"  Wingandacoa."  This  sentence  was  in  later  years  inter- 
preted into  English  and  found  to  mean  "  What  pretty  clothes 
you  wear." 

The  next  settlers  to  Virginia  came  under  Sir  Richard 
Grenville,  from  Plymouth,  England,  April  9,  1585.  They 
chose  Roanoke  Island  as  their  seating  place  (May  26,  1585). 
While  in  America  they  made  discoveries  south  and  north  of 
Roanoke,  going  as  far  north  as  Elizabeth  River  (now  in 
Virginia),  where  they  visited  a  nation  of  Indians  called 
Chesapeakes,  after  which  tribe  the  Chesapeake  Bay  is  named. 
These  voyages  were  made  hoping  to  discover  an  outlet  to  the 
South  Sea.  During  these  voyages  they  had  skirmishes  with 
tbe  Indians  provoked  mainly  by  their  own  indiscretion. 
They  burned  an  Indian  town  because  one  of  the  natives  stole 
from  them  a  Bilver  cup.  Among  their  atrocious  murders  was 
that  of  Wingina,  the  [ndian  King,  who  had  been  so  generous 
and    hospi  to    the    English   of   the   former   expedition. 

There  were  108  persons  in  this  expedition. 

After  nndi  rgoing  much  hardship  and  danger  during 
about  14  moii ,  ly  in  America,  they  were  returned  at  their 

own  requesl  b     Drake  to  England,  about  the  latter  end  of 


40  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

July,  1586.  They  carried  home  some  tobacco,  which  prob- 
ably was  the  first  ever  brought  to  England.  It  is  said  that 
owing  mainly  to  Sir  "Walter  Ealeigh,  tobacco  was  introduced 
into  general  use  by  the  ladies  and  noblemen  of  the  Court,  to 
which  the  Queen  (Elizabeth)  "gave  great  countenance  and 
encouragement  as  a  vegetable  of  singular  strength  and  power 
which  might  benefit  mankind." 

There  are  two  famous  stories  told  concerning  tobacco  and 
Sir  Walter  Ealeigh.  He  wagered  with  the  Queen,  that  he 
could  determine  exactly  the  weight  of  the  smoke  which  came 
out  of  a  pipe  of  tobacco.  This  he  did  by  first  weighing  the 
tobacco,  and  then  carefully  preserving  and  weighing  the 
ashes;  and  the  Queen  readily  granted  that  what  was  wanting 
in  the  prime  weight  must  be  evaporated  in  smoke.  And  when 
she  paid  the  wager,  she  said  pleasantly  that  she  had  heard  of 
many  laborers  in  the  fire,  that  turned  their  gold  into  smoke, 
but  Ealeigh  was  the  first  who  had  turned  his  smoke  into  gold. 
It  is  also  related  that  a  country  servant  of  his,  bringing  him  a 
tankard  of  ale  and  nutmeg  into  his  study,  as  he  was  intently 
engaged  at  his  book,  smoking  a  pipe  of  tobacco,  became  so 
frightened  at  seeing  the  smoke  reek  out  of  his  master's  mouth, 
that  he  threw  the  ale  into  his  face,  in  order  to  extinguish  the 
fire,  and  ran  down  stairs,  alarming  the  family,  and  crying  out 
his  master  was  on  fire,  and  before  they  could  get  up,  he  would 
be  burned  to  ashes. 

Not  knowing  the  colonists  were  on  their  way  to  England, 
Sir  Walter  Ealeigh  sent  a  ship  loaded  with  provisions  for  the 
settlement.  After  seeking  the  colony  in  vain  the  ship  re- 
turned with  all  on  board  to  England.  About  a  fortnight 
after  the  departure  of  this  ship  (October,  1586),  Sir  Eichard 
Grenville  arrived  with  three  ships,  seeking  the  colony  which 
he  himself  had  seated  (and  which  was  returned  home  by 
Drake),  and  finding  their  habitation  abandoned,  in  order  to 
hold  possession  of  the  country,  he  landed  fifty  persons  on  the 
island   of   Eoanoke,   supplied   with   all   provisions   for   two 


THE   LOST   COLONY   OF   ROANOKE  41 

years.     He  thereupon  returned  to  England.     These  fifty  men 
were  never  afterwards  found. 

In  1587,  three  ships  were  sent  under  command  of  John 
White  who  was  appointed  Governor  with  twelve  assistants  as 
council  under  a  Charier  from  Raleigh,  incorporating  them  by 
the  name  of  "  The  Governor  and  Assistants  of  the  City  of 
Roanoke,  in  Virginia/'  with  express  directions  to  seat  at 
Chesapeake,  which  they  neglected  to  do.  They  reached 
Hatteras  July  22  (1587)  and  went  to  Roanoke  to  look  for 
the  fifty  men  left  there  by  Grenville,  "  but  they  found  noth- 
ing but  the  bones  of  a  man,  and  where  the  Plantation  had 
been,  the  houses  were  undestroyed,  but  overgrown  with  weeds, 
and  the  fort  defaced.  Upon  further  search  they  learned  that 
the  colonists  had  been  suddenly  set  upon  by  Wingina's  men, 
and  after  a  small  skirmish,  in  which  one  of  the  Englishmen 
was  slain,  they  retired  to  the  water  side,  and  having  got  their 
boat,  and  taken  up  four  of  their  fellows  gathering  crabs  and 
oysters,  they  went  to  a  small  island  by  Hatteras;  that  they 
staid  there  some  time,  but  after  departed  they  knew  not 
whither."  After  some  delay,  White  planted  his  colony  on 
Roanoke  Island. 

At  the  earnest  request  of  the  colonists  Governor  White 
went  to  England  to  seek  assistance  there  for  his  colony.  He 
left  about  one  hundred  persons  on  one  of  the  islands  of 
Hatteras  to  form  a  plantation.  Among  those  whom  Gov- 
ernor White  left  in  the  Colony  was  his  own  daughter,  wife  to 
Ananias  Dare,  one  of  the  Council,  and  mother  of  Virginia 
Dare,  horn  at  Roanoke  island.  August  13,  1587,  the  first 
white  child  lorn  '  then  known  as  Virginia.     This 

child  and  her  parents  are  numbered  with  those  of  this  second 
t  colony. 

At  the  tin      '      ernor  Whi  '  "d  for  a 

ance  "the  nation  was  in  great  commotion  and  apprehension 
of  the  Sp  Q  and  [nvincible  Armada."     lie  suc- 

ceeded in  obtaining  two  small  barks,  but  tl.  re  attacked 


42  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

at  sea  by  the  Spaniards  and  compelled  to  return  to  England. 
In  the  meantime  Sir  Walter  Ealeigh  made  an  assignment  of 
all  his  interest,  title,  or  privilege,  to  several  other  gentlemen, 
for  continuing  the  plantation  in  Virginia.  On  account  of 
the  invasion  of  the  Spanish  Armada,  it  was  not  until  March, 
1590,  that  White  was  able  to  get  further  assistance.  At  that 
date  "  he  set  sail  with  three  ships  from  Plymouth,  and  passed 
by  the  West  Indies.  They  staid  some  time  there,  to  perform 
some  exploits,  which  was  to  attack  and  plunder  the 
Spaniards."  They  finally  reached  Hatteras:  "  There  they 
descried  a  smoke,  at  the  place  where  the  colony  had  been 
three  years  before.  The  next  morning  they  discharged  some 
cannon  to  give  notice  of  their  arrival,  they  went  ashore,  but 
found  no  man  nor  signs  of  any,  that  had  been  there  lately.'* 
They  found  engraved  on  a  tree  the  word  "  Croatan,"  but 
searched  in  vain  for  the  place.  They  made  further  search 
on  Eoanoke  Island  and  elsewhere,  but  finally  started  again 
for  the  West  Indies  in  search  of  more  Spanish  plunder, 
basely  deserting  their  friends  and  relatives  of  the  Colony. 

Sir  Walter  Ealeigh  after  making  his  assignment  sent  five 
several  times  to  Virginia  to  search  for  the  lost  colonists,  but 
they  were  never  seen  nor  heard  of  afterwards.  Some  of  the 
Jamestown  colonists  on  their  voyage  up  the  James  River 
"saw  a  savage  boy  about  the  age  of  10  years  which  had  a 
head  of  haire  of  perfect  yellow,  and  a  reasonable  white  skin, 
which  is  a  miracle  amongst  all  savages."  Some  of  the 
Indians  reported  that  they  had  seen  whites  in  the  South, 
but  to  this  day  the  fate  of  the  Eoanoke  settlers  is  not  known. 


CHAPTER  V 
The  Founding  of  an  English  Nation  in  America 


It  was  mainly  through  the  efforts  of  Captain  Bartholomew 
Gosnold  that  an  attempt  at  colonization  was  made  which  re- 
sulted in  making  the  final  first  permanent  settlement  in  Vir- 
ginia, he  "having  made  former  voyages  (in  1G02)  to  the 
northern  parts  of  Virginia,  and  was  so  pleased  with  the  places 
he  saw,  that  he  solicited  all  his  friends  and  acquaintances  to 
join  with  him  in  an  attempt  to  settle  that  country."  He 
finally  "prevailed  upon  Capt.  John  Smith,  Edward  Maria 
Wingfield,  Reverend  Robert  Hunt,  and  divers  others  to  join 
with  him  in  the  undertaking."  Several  of  the  noblemen, 
gentry,  and  merchants  joined  in  the  enterprise.  Letters 
patent  were  obtained  from  King  James  I,  bearing  date  10th 
of  April,  1G06,  naming  certain  persons  for  the  "  Southern 
colony,"  which  settled  in  Tidewater  Virginia,  and  certain 
other  persons  for  the  "  Northern  Colony,"  which  finally  set- 
tled in  New  England. 

"The  Southern,"  or  "London,"  Colony  was  designed  foi 
the  city  of  London,  and  such  as  would  adventure  with  them 
to  discover  and  choose  a  place  of  settlement  between  the  de- 
grees of  34th  and  41st  parallels  of  latitude. 

"The  Northern,"  or  "Plymouth,"  Company,  was  appro- 
priated to  the  cities  of  Bristol,  Exeter,  Plymouth,  and  the 
western  parts  of  England,  and  all  that  would  adventure  with 
them,  to  make  their  choice  between  the  degrees  of  38th  and 
45th  parallels  of  latitude,  provided  there  should  be  at  least 
one  hundred  miles  between  the  two  colonies. 

The  Charter  from  James  T,  dated  April  10,  1606,  begins 
by  naming  certain  "  loving  and  well  disposed  subjects    *    *    * 

[43] 


44  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

that  we  would  vouchsafe  unto  them  our  license  to  make  Habi- 
tation, Plantation,  and  to  deduce  a  Colony  of  sundry  of  our 
people  unto  that  Part  of  America  either  appertaining  unto 
us,  or  which  are  not  actually  possessed  by  an  Christian  Prince 
or  People/' 

It  granted  all  the  territory  between  the  34th  and  45th  de- 
grees of  north  latitude,  and  all  islands  within  one  hundred 
miles  of  coast.  The  34th  to  the  45th  parallels  extend  from  a 
short  distance  south  of  Columbia,  S.  C,  to  the  dividing  line 
between  what  we  know  as  Vermont  and  Canada.  The  strip 
from  the  38th  to  the  41st  parallels,  comprising  between  the 
mouth  of  the  Potomac  to  the  southern  end  of  Long  Island 
Sound,  was  embraced  in  the  charters  of  both  the  Southern  and 
Northern  Companies,  and  was  thus  open  to  settlement  by  both. 
Conflict  of  jurisdiction  was  avoided  by  the  proviso  that  neither 
colony  should  establish  within  one  hundred  miles  of  any  actual 
occupancy  by  the  other.  Half  of  this  territory  could  be  se- 
cured to  the  first  who  settled  upon  it  and  yet  there  would 
be  one  hundred  miles  left.  The  actual  settlement  of  the 
Jamestown  colony  was  begun  near  the  37th  parallel,  while 
the  Plymouth  colony  first  settled  at  the  42nd  parallel. 

The  Companies  were  to  be  governed  each  by  a  Council  of 
thirteen  persons  resident  in  England.  There  was  likewise  to 
be  a  council  in  each  colony  to  govern  according  to  the  laws, 
ordinances  and  instructions  of  the  King, — he  to  appoint  the 
Eoyal  Council  in  England.  They  had  the  power  to  work 
mines,  paying  the  King  one-fifth  of  the  gold  and  silver,  and 
one-fifteenth  of  the  copper  mined.  They  had  the  power  to 
coin  money,  and  to  levy  duty  on  King's  subjects  trading  with 
them. 

The  Council  in  England  was  empowered  to  name  the  Coun- 
cil to  reside  in  Virginia.  The  President  and  Council  in  Vir- 
ginia were  constituted  the  supreme  tribunals  in  all  cases. 

May  23,  1609,  a  second  charter  was  granted  to  the  London 
(Virginia)  Company,  by  which  it  became  an  entirely  distinct 


THE    FOUNDING   OF   AN   ENGLISH   NATION  45 

corporate  body,  and  was  under  the  management  of  a  Special 
Eoyal  Council  in  England,  which  included  individual  and  cor- 
porate bodies  of  wealth  and  power. 

By  it  the  power  which  had  formerly  been  reserved  to  the 
King  was  transferred  to  the  Company — the  power  of  choosing 
the  Supreme  Council  in  England,  and  also  of  legislating  for 
the  colony.  It  became  a  corporate  body  known  as  the  "  Trea- 
surer and  Company  of  Adventurers  and  Planters  of  the  City 
of  London  for  the  First  Colony  in  Virginia."  The  incorpora- 
tors were  fifty  city  companies  of  London,  and  nearly  700 
persons,  of  whom  there  were  knights,  peers,  ministers,  doctors, 
esquires,  gentlemen,  captains,  merchants,  and  others. 

It  gave  the  company  "  all  those  Lands,  Countries,  and  Ter- 
ritories situate,  lying  and  being  in  that  part  of  America  called 
Virginia,  from  the  Point  of  Land  called  Cape  or  Point  Com- 
fort, all  along  the  sea  coast  to  the  Northward  200  miles,  and 
from  said  Point  of  Cape  Comfort,  all  along  the  Sea  Coast  to 
the  Southward  200  miles,  and  all  that  space  and  circuit  of 
Land,  lying  from  the  Sea  Coast  of  the  Present  aforesaid,  up 
into  the  land,  throughout  from  Sea  to  Sea,  West  and  North 
West,  and  all  the  islands  lying  within  100  miles  along  the 
coast  of  both  Seas  of  the  Precinct  aforesaid." 

This  charter  extended  the  limits  of  Virginia  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  It  embraced  the  entire  northwest  of  North  America; 
granting  400  miles  along  the  coast — 200  miles  each  way  from 
Old  Point  Comfort.  It  supplanted  the  former  president  and 
council,  and  provided  a  governor  and  council  instead,  and 
gave  them  full  power  to  correct,  punish,  pardon,  govern  and 
rule  "  all  subjects  as  shall  adventure  in  any  voyage,  or  shall 
inhabit  on  the  Precincts  of  the  said  Colony." 

A  third  Charter  by  .Tamos  I,  dated  March  12,  1612,  con- 
firmed and  enlarged  the  privileges  which  had  been  granted 
under  former  charters,  and  extended  the  territory  and  juris- 
diction to  all  islands  and  settlements  withing  300  miles  of 
the  coast  of  the  main  land.    This  added  the  Bermuda  islands, 


46  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

which  were  soon  thereafter  sold  to  some  of  the  members  of 
the  Company. 

The  colony  when  first  started  was  a  "  proprietary  "  enter- 
prise, and  so  continued  until  the  second  charter — 1609 — when 
it  became  a  "  corporation/'  and  so  continued  under  its  third 
charter  until  the  year  1624,  when  the  corporation  or  company 
was  declared  null  and  void,  the  corporation  dissolved,  and  the 
colony  placed  under  the  Eoyal  Government  of  the  King  of 
England,  and  so  it  continued  as  "  a  Eoyal  Province,"  until  the 
Revolution,  with  the  exception  of  the  period  when  it  was  at- 
tempted to  grant  the  whole  of  Virginia  for  a  period  of  thirty- 
one  years  to  a  few  of  the  favorites  of  the  Crown,  and  the 
period  during  the  short  interval  of  Cromwell's  reign. 

On  December  19,  1606,  the  colonists,  composed  of  men  and 
boys  left  Blackwalls,  England,  in  three  small  ships,  the  Susan 
Constant,  Godspeed  and  Discovery  to  make  their  future  home 
in  the  wilds  of  America.  They  were  detained  on  the  coast  of 
England  by  contrary  winds  about  six  weeks.  Their  voyage 
to  America  was  by  the  southern  route. 

"  Your  course  securely  steer, 
West  by  south  forth  keep, 
Rocks,  lee  shores,  nor  shoals 
Where  Eolus  scowls, 

You  need  not  fear, 

So  absolute  the  deep." 

"  And  cheerfully  at  sea 
Success  you  still  entice 
To  get  the  pearl  and  gold 
And  ours  to  hold 

Virginia, 

Earth's  only  Paradise." 

The  voyage  was  long  and  tedious,  consuming  more  than 
four  months  from  the  start  at  Blackwalls  to  the  landing  at 
the  Capes  of  Virginia,  April  26,  1607. 


THE   FOUNDING    OF   AN    ENGLISH    NATION  47 

Thomas  Studley,  one  of  the  "  Gentlemen  "  colonists  gives 
the  following  list  of  "  names  of  the  first  planters  left  in  Vir- 
ginia," when  Captain  Newport  returned  to  England,  June  15, 
1607. 

Edward  Maria  Wingfield,  Capt.  John  Radcliffe,  Capt.  John 
Martin,  Capt.  Bartholomew  Gosnold,  Capt.  John  Smith,  Capt. 
George  Kendall.  These  were  the  council  appointed  by  the 
London  Company.  Wingfield  was  selected  as  President  by 
this  Council  for  a  year. 

Mr.  Robert  Hunt,  Preacher. 

Those  listed  as  "  Gentlemen  "  were : 

George  Percie,  Anthony  Gosnall,  Capt.  Gabriell  Archer, 
Rob.  Ford,  William  Bruster,  Dru  Pickhouse,  John  Brooks, 
Thos.  Sands,  John  Robinson,  TTstis  Colovill,  Kellam  Throg- 
morton,  Nathaniel  Powell,  Robt.  Beberbland,  Jeremy  Alicock,. 
Thos.  Studley,  Richard  Crofts,  Nicholas  Houlgrave,  Thos. 
Webbe,  Jno.  Walco,  Wm.  Tankard,  Francis  Scarborough,  Ed- 
ward Brooks,  Rich.  Dixon,  Jno.  Martin,  Geo.  Martin,  An- 
thony Gosnold,  Thos.  Wotton,  Surg.  Thos.  Gore,  Francis  Mid- 
winter. 

The  Carpenters  were: 

Wm.  Laxon,  Edward  Pising,  Thos.  Emery,  Rob.  Small. 

The  others  were  listed  as  follows :  Anas  Todkill,  Jno.  Cap- 
per, (no  occupation  indicated). 

James  Read,  blacksmith  ;  Jonas  Profit,  sailor ;  Thos.  Cooper, 
barber;  John  Herd,  bricklayer;  Edward  Printo,  mason;  Wil- 
liam Love,  tailor;  Nic  Skol,  drum. 

The  laborers  were:  John  Layclon,  Wm.  Cassen,  Geo.  Cas- 
sen,1 Thos.  Casson,  Wm.  Rods,  Wm.  White,  Ould  Edward, 

1  Tho  latter  named  (Geo.  Cassen)  was  one  of  the  crew  who 
accompanied  Smith  when  he  was  captured  up  the  Chlckahomlny 
River  by  Opechancanough,  Powhatan's  brother.  Cassen  was 
first  captured,  and  after  he  told  of  Smith's  whereabouts  he  was 
stripped  and  tied  to  a  tree,  and  his  flesh  torn  off  with  clam  shells, 
and  his  body  burned. 


48  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Henry  Tauin,  Geo.  Golding,  Jno.  Dods,  Wm.  Johnson,  Will 
Unger. 

Will  Wilkinson,  Surgeon. 

The  boys  were :  Sam'l  Collier,  Nat.  Pocock,  Richard  Mul- 
lin,  Jas.  Brumfield. 

Studley  ends  the  list  with  the  statement  that  there  were 
"  divers  others  to  the  number  of  105." 

They  were  accompanied  by  between  forty  and  fifty  sailors, 
who  were  the  crews  of  the  three  ships. 

When  the  colonists  embarked  upon  their  journey,  they  knew 
not  who  would  be  their  rulers  in  the  new  world.  They  only 
knew  the  expedition  was  to  be  in  charge  of  Capt.  Newport 
until  Virginia  was  reached.  Sealed  orders  from  the  Company 
naming  the  first  president  and  council  for  the  colony  were 
given  Newport.  The  evening  of  their  arrival  within  the  Capes 
of  the  Chesapeake,  the  box  containing  the  orders  was  opened 
and  read,  and  no  doubt  great  surprise  was  manifested  by  some 
upon  reading  the  name  of  Capt.  John  Smith  as  one  of  the  first 
Council.  During  the  voyage  he  had  been  accused  of  mutiny 
by  Wingfield  and  others,  and  had  since  then  been  a  prisoner. 
His  trial  took  place  after  the  colony  was  established  at  James- 
town. He  was  honorably  accquitted  and  his  accuser  ordered  to 
pay  him  a  large  sum  of  money,  which  Smith  refused  to  accept 
for  his  personal  use,  and  donated  to  the  colony. 

The  size  of  the  ships  in  which  these  colonists  ventured 
across  the  wide  Atlantic  Ocean,  indicates  the  meagre  accomo- 
dations of  the  colonists  during  the  four  months  cruise.  A 
vessel's  tonnage  is  estimated  as  100  cubic  feet  to  the  ton,  a 
little  less  in  size  than  a  cord  of  wood  which  is  128  cubic  feet. 

The  tonnage  and  capacity  of  each  of  the  three  ships  were 
as  follows : 

"  Susan  Constant,"  100  tons  burden,  capacity  to  hold  78 
cords  of  wood. 

"  Godspeed/'  40  tons  burden,  capacity  to  hold  31  cords  of 
wood. 


THE    FOUNDING   OF   AN   ENGLISH    NATION  49 

"Discovery,"  20  tons  burden,  capacity  to  hold  15y2  cords 
of  wood. 

Few  sailors  of  the  present  day  would  have  the  temerity  to 
attempt  to  cross  the  Atlantic  ocean  in  a  vessel  of  but  20  tons 
burden.1 

An  interesting  account  of  this  memorable  expedition  was 
written  by  George  Percy,  or  Percie,  a  brother  of  the  Earl  of 
Northumberland,  in  whose  honor  a  county  in  the  Northern 
Neck  of  Virginia  was  named.  He  was  a  member  of  this  first 
expedition  to  form  a  permanent  settlement.  When  Captain 
John  Smith  returned  to  England  in  1609,  Percy  was  president 
in  his  stead,  which  office  he  held  during  "  The  Starving  Time," 
in  1610,  and  later  was  Lieutenant-Governor.  The  history  of 
the  colony  during  the  days  they  were  seeking  a  final  seating 
place  can  best  be  told  in  his  own  recital  of  those  events. 

He  described  the  voyage  to  Virginia  as  beginning  on  Satur- 
day, Dec.  20,  1606,  (other  writers,  Dec.  19),  "the  fleet  fell 
from  London,  and  the  first  of  January  we  anchored  in  the 
Downes  but  the  winds  continued  contrarie  so  long,  that  we 
were  forced  to  stay  there  some  time."  He  gives  an  interesting 
description  of  the  places  where  the  fleet  stopped  en  route  to 
Virginia,  and  the  habits  of  the  aborigines  whom  the  colonists 
met,  and  with  whom  they  exchanged  trinkets  for  food.  They 
left  the  West  Indies  on  the  tenth  of  April,  and  all  went  well 
with  the  fleet  until  "  the  one  and  twentieth  day  about  five  a 
clocke  at  night  there  began  a  vehement  tempest,  which  lasted 
all  the  night,  with  winds,  raine,  and  thunders  in  a  terrible 
manner.  Wee  were  forced  to  lie  at  Hull  (bare  poles)  that 
night  because  wee  thought  wee  had  beene  neerer  land  than  wee 

1  The  largest  vessel  ever  built  was  launched  at  the  Clyde  Bank 
Glasgow,  Scotland,  on  June  7,  1906,  named  "  Lusitania,"  of  the 
Cunard  Line.  She  is  790  feet  long,  and  her  greatest  breadth  is 
88  feet.  Her  displacement  is  40,000  tons,  and  she  would  there- 
fore hold  approximately,  31,250  cords  of  wood,  as  compared  with 
the  151  cords  which  would  load  the  colonist's  ship  named  "  Dis- 
covery." 

A 


50  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

were."    The  next  three  days  they  sounded  the  lead  for  land 
"  but  wee  could  find  no  ground  at  a  hundred  fathom." 

"  The  sixth  and  twentieth  day  of  Aprill,  about  f  oure  a  clock 
in  the  morning,  wee  descried  the  Land  of  Virginia;  the  same 
day  wee  entered  into  the  Bay  of  Chesupioc  directly,  without 
let  or  hinderance ;  there  wee  landed  and  discovered  a  little  way, 
but  we  could  find  nothing  worth  speaking  of,  but  faire  med- 
dowes  and  goodly  tall  Trees,  with  such  Fresh-waters  running 
through  the  woods,  as  I  was  almost  ravished  at  the  sight." 

"  At  night,  when  wee  were  going  aboard,  there  came  the 
Savages  creeping  up  on  all  foures,  from  the  Hills  like  Beares, 
with  their  Bowes  in  their  mouthes,  charged  us  very  desperately 
in  the  faces,  hurt  Captaine  Gabrill  Archer  in  both  his  hands, 
and  a  sayler  (named  Mather  Morton)  in  two  places  of  the 
body  very  dangerous.  After  they  had  spent  their  Arrowes,  and 
felt  the  sharpnesse  of  our  shot,  they  retired  into  the  Woods 
with  great  noise,  and  so  left  us." 

The  first  settlers  probably  cast  their  first  anchor  in  Virginia 
waters  some  two  or  three  miles  westward  of  the  present  loca- 
tion of  Cape  Henry  Light  House,  within  the  Chesapeake  Bay, 
and  nearly  on  a  south  line  with  the  inland  waters  of  what  is 
now  known  as  Broad  Bay,  and  its  adjoining  waters,  known  as 
Lynn  Haven  Bay.  This  latter  named  place  lies  directly  south 
of  this  anchorage,  some  seven  or  eight  miles,  where  on  the  sec- 
ond day  of  their  arrival  they  "marched  8  miles  up  into  the 
land  and  came  to  a  place  where  the  Indians  had  beene  newly 
a  roasting  oysters." 

On  April  29,  1896,  the  association  for  the  preservation  of 
Virginia  antiquities  put  upon  the  old  light  house  at  Cape 
Henry  a  bronze  tablet  with  these  words  upon  it : 

"  Near  this  spot  landed  April  26,  1607,  Capt.  Gabriell  Ar- 
cher, Hon.  Geo.  S.  Percy,  Christopher  Newport,  Bartholomew 
Gosnold,  Edward  Maria  Wingfield,  with  25  others,  who  calling 
the  place  Cape  Henry,  planted  a  cross  April  29,  1607. 
"Dei  gratia  Virginia  condita." 


THE    F0UXDIXG    OF   AX    EXGLISH    XATIOX  51 

The  "  Savages  "  who  gave  the  colonists  this  ungracious  re- 
ception were  of  the  (Chesapeake)  Chesupioc  tribe  whose  seat 
was  near  the  head  waters  of  Lynn  Haven  Bay.  Their  hostility 
was  no  doubt  induced  by  the  belief  that  the  colonists  were  of 
the  same  class  of  white  men  who  had  made  prior  visits  to  these 
shores.1 

"  The  seven  and  twentieth  day  we  began  to  build  up  our 
Shallop :  the  Gentlemen  and  Souldiers  marched  eight  miles  up 
into  the  Land,  we  could  not  see  a  Savage  in  all  that  march, 
we  came  to  a  place  where  they  had  made  a  great  fire,  and  had 
beene  newly  a  roasting  Oysters :  when  they  perceived  our  com- 
ing, they  fled  away  to  the  Mountaines,  and  left  many  of  the 
oysters  in  the  fire :  we  eat  some  of  the  oysters,  which  were  very 
large  and  delicate  in  taste." 

"  The  eighth  and  twentieth  we  launched  our  Shallop,  the 
Captaine  and  some  Gentlemen  went  in  her,  and  discovered  up 
the  Bay,  we  found  a  River  (Lynn  Haven  Inlet)  on  the  South 
side  running  into  the  Maine ;  we  entered  it  and  found  it  very 
shoal  water,  not  for  any  Boats  to  swim :  Wee  went  farther 
into  the  Bay,  and  saw  a  plaine  plot  of  ground  where  we  went 
on  Land,  and  found  the  place  five  mile  in  compass,  without 
either  Bush  or  Tree,  we  saw  nothing  there  but  a  Cannow, 
which  was  made  out  of  the  whole  tree,  which  was  five  and 
fortie  feet  by  the  Rule.    Upon  this  plot  of  ground  we  got  good 

1  After  settlements  were  made  in  the  West  Indies,  and  parts 
of  South  America,  and  vessels  began  to  traverse  the  seas  of  the 
new  world  for  commercial  purposes,  there  arose  a  desperately 
criminal  class  of  men — Spaniards  and  English  mainly — who 
sailed  the  seas  and  explored  the  shores  of  America  for  plunder. 
They  made  frequent  forays  along  the  coasts,  and  into  adjacent 
waters  to  capture  the  natives,  whom  they  would  sell  as  slaves  to 
the  planters.  Piracy  was  of  such  frequent  occurrence  for  more 
than  a  century  after  Virginia  was  settled  that  a  court  wa9 
specially  provided  by  the  colony  for  trial  of  pirates.  Gov.  Spots- 
wood  did  much  to  clear  the  coast  of  Virginia  from  the  incursions 
of  pirates. 


52  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

store  of  Mussels  and  Oysters,  which  lay  on  the  ground  as  thick 
as  stones:  wee  opened  some,  and  found  in  many  of  them 
Pearles.  We  marched  some  three  or  four  miles  further  into 
the  Woods,  where  we  saw  great  smoakes  of  fire.  We  marched 
to  those  smoakes  and  found  that  the  Savages  had  been  burning 
down  the  grass,  as  wee  thought  either  to  make  their  plantation 
there,  or  else  to  give  signs  to  bring  their  forces  together,  and  to 
give  us  battel.  We  past  through  excellent  ground  of  Flowers 
of  divers  kinds  and  colours,  and  as  goodly  trees  as  I  have  ever 
seen,  as  Cedar,  Cypresse,  and  other  kindes,  going  a  little  fur- 
ther we  came  into  a  little  plat  of  ground  full  of  fine  and  beau- 
tiful Strawberries,  foure  times  bigger  and  better  than  ours  in 
England.  All  this  march  we  could  neither  see  Savage  nor 
Towne." 

The  same  evening  towards  dusk  while  attempting  to  enter 
James  Eiver  they  struck  "  Willoughby  Spit,"  the  eastern  end 
of  Hampton  Eoads,  where  they  "  found  shallow  water  for  a 
great  way,"  which  put  them  out  of  all  hopes  for  getting  any 
higher  with  their  ships,  which  then  "  road  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Eiver." 

They  rowed  to  a  point  of  land  on  the  opposite  side  of  Ham- 
ton  Eoads,  where  they  found  a  channel  "  with  6,  8,  10,  or  12 
fathom  /'which  put  us  in  good  comfort.  Therefore  we  named 
that  point  of  Land  Cape  Comfort."  This  is  now  known  as 
"  Old  Point  Comfort,"  situated  at  the  entrance  to  Hampton 
Eoads. 

"  The  nine  and  twentieth  day  we  set  up  a  crosse  at  Chesu- 
pioc  Bay,  and  named  the  Cape  Henry. 

The  colonists  brought  their  ships  into  the  James  Eiver  and 
were  the  invited  guests  of  the  Indians  to  a  feast,  a  dance,  and 
a  "  smoker,"  at  the  village  of  Kecoughtan,  now  the  town  of 
Hampton.  Here  the  colonists  for  the  first  time  came  in 
friendly  contact  with  their  new  neighbors,  and  witnessed  many 
strange  things.  To  men  reared  in  the  civilized  precincts  of 
London,  these  must  have  been  novel  scenes. 


THE    FOUNDING    OF   AN    ENGLISH    NATION  53 

"  The  thirtieth  day,  we  came  with  our  ships  to  Cape  Com- 
fort, where  we  saw  five  Savages  running  on  the  shoare ;  pres- 
ently the  Captaine  caused  the  Shallop  to  be  manned,  so  rowing 
to  the  shoare,  the  captaine  called  to  them  in  signe  of  friend- 
ship, but  they  were  at  first  timersome  until  they  saw  the  Cap- 
taine lay  his  hand  on  his  heart:  upon  that  they  laid  down 
their  Bowes  and  Arrowes,  and  came  very  boldly  to  us,  making 
signes  to  come  a  shoare  to  their  Towne,  which  is  called  by  the 
Savages  Kecoughtan  (now  Hampton).  Wee  coasted  to  their 
Towne,  rowing  over  a  Eiver  running  into  the  Maine,  where 
these  Savages  swam  over  with  their  Bowes  and  Arrowes  in 
their  mouthes. 

"When  we  came  to  the  other  side,  there  was  a  many  of 
other  Savages  which  directed  us  to  their  Towne,  where  we 
were  entertained  by  them  very  kindly.  When  we  came  first 
a  Land  they  made  a  doleful  noise,  laying  their  faces  to  the 
ground,  scratching  the  earth  with  their  nailes.  We  did 
thinke  that  they  had  beene  at  their  idolatry.  When  they  ended 
their  Ceremonies  they  went  into  their  houses  and  brought  out 
mats  and  laid  upon  the  ground,  the  chiefest  of  them  sate 
all  in  a  rank:  the  meanest  sort  brought  us  such  dainties  as 
they  had,  and  of  their  bread  which  they  make  of  their  Maiz 
or  Genne  wheat,  they  would  not  suffer  us  to  eat  unlesse  we 
sate  down,  which  we  did  on  a  Mat  right  against  them.  After 
we  were  satisfied  they  gave  us  of  their  Tobacco,  which  they 
tooke  in  a  pipe  made  artificially  of  earth  as  ours  are,  but  far 
bigger,  with  the  bowle  fashioned  together  with  a  piece  of  fine 
copper.  After  they  had  feasted  us,  they  shewed  us,  in  wel- 
come, their  manner  of  dancing,  which  was  in  this  fashion: 
one  of  the  Savages  standing  in  the  midst  singing,  beating 
one  hand  against  another,  all  the  rest  dancing  about  him, 
shouting,  howling,  and  stamping  against  the  ground,  with 
many  anticke  tricks  and  faces,  making  noise  like  so  many 
Wolves  or  Devils.  One  thing  of  them  I  observed  ;  when  the] 
were  in  their  dance  they  kept  stroke  with  their  feet  just  one 


54  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

with  another,  but  with  their  hands,  heads,  faces,  and  bodies, 
every  one  of  them  had  a  severall  gesture :  so  they  continued  for 
the  space  of  an  houre.  When  they  had  ended  their  dance,  the 
Captaine  gave  them  Beades  and  other  trifling  Jewells.  They 
hang  through  their  eares  Fowles  legs:  they  shave  the  right 
6ide  of  their  heads  with  a  shell,  the  left  side  they  wcare  of  an 
ell  long  tied  up  with  an  artificial  knot,  with  a  many  of  Foules 
feathers  sticking  in  it.  They  goe  altogether  naked,  but  their 
privities  are  covered  with  Beasts  skinnes  beset  commonly  with 
little  bones,  or  beasts  teeth:  some  paint  their  bodies  blacke, 
some  red,  with  artificiall  knots  of  sundry  lively  colours,  very 
beautifull  and  pleasing  to  the  eye,  in  a  braver  fashion  than 
they  in  the  West  Indies." 

Notwithstanding  this  hospitable  welcome  and  generous  en- 
tertainment by  these  Indians  to  the  white  strangers,  Sir 
Thomas  Gates  in  1610  drove  all  this  tribe  from  Kecoughtan 
(Hampton),  and  took  their  lands  for  the  use  of  a  colony  which 
he  settled  there. 

Aside  from  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  and  Santa  Fe,  New 
Mexico,  Hampton  is  the  oldest  continuous  settlement  of  a 
town  in  America. 

The  colonists  next  met  with  the  king  of  Paspiha  who  lived 
in  what  is  now  James  City  County,  and  who  later  gave  the 
colonists  the  land  of  Jamestown.  While  in  his  company  the 
king  of  Eappahanna,  hearing  of  the  strangers,  came  in  his 
canoe  to  extend  an  invitation  to  them  to  visit  his  town.  They 
visit  the  king  next  day,  and  for  the  first  time  in  the  new  world, 
they  heard  an  Indian  playing  a  flute,  and  they  learned  much 
of  the  customs  of  their  new  neighbors  during  this  visit. 

"  The  fourth  day  of  May,  we  came  to  the  King  or  Wero- 
wanc  of  Paspihe :  where  they  entertained  us  with  much  wel- 
come: an  old  Savage  made  a  long  Oration,  making  a  foule 
noise,  uttering  his  speech  with  a  vehement  action,  but  we 
knew  little  what  they  meant.  While  we  were  in  company  with 
the  Paspihes,  the  Werowance  of  Eappahanna  came  from  the 


THE    FOUNDING    OF   AN    ENGLISH    NATION  55 

other  side  of  the  River  in  his  Cannoa :  he  seemed  to  take  dis- 
pleasure at  our  being  with  the  Paspihes :  he  would  f aine  have 
had  us  come  to  his  Towne,  the  Captaine  was  unwilling :  seeing 
that  the  day  was  so  far  spent  he  returned  backe  to  his  ships 
for  that  night." 

"  The  next  day,  being  the  fifth  of  May,  the  Werowance  of 
Rappahanna  sent  a  Messenger  to  have  us  come  to  him.  We 
entertained  the  said  Messenger,  and  gave  him  trifles  which 
pleased  him :  Wee  manned  our  shallop  with  Muskets  and  Tar- 
gatiers  sufficiently;  this  said  Messenger  guided  us  where  our 
determination  was  to  goe.  When  we  landed,  the  Wero- 
wance of  Eappahanna  came  downe  to  the  water  side  with  all 
his  traine,  as  goodly  men  as  any  I  have  seene  of  Savages  or 
Christians;  the  Werowance  coming  before  them  playing  on  a 
Flute  made  of  a  Eeed,  with  a  Crown  of  Deare's  haire,  colloured 
red,  in  fashion  of  a  Rose  fastened  about  his  knot  of  haire, 
and  a  great  Plate  of  Copper  on  the  other  side  of  his  head, 
with  two  long  Feathers  in  fashion  of  a  paire  of  Homes  placed 
in  the  midst  of  his  Crowne.  His  body  was  painted  all  with 
Crimson,  with  a  Chaine  of  Beads  about  his  necke,  his  face 
painted  blew,  besprinkled  with  silver  Ore  as  we  thought  (mica 
dust  probably),  his  eares  all  behung  with  Braslets  of  Pearle, 
and  in  either  eare  a  Birds  Claw  through  it  beset  with  fine 
Copper  or  Gold,  he  entertained  us  in  so  modest  a  proud 
fashion,  as  though  he  had  beene  a  Prince  of  Civill  govern- 
ment, holding  his  countenance  without  laughter  or  any  such 
ill  behaviour ;  he  caused  his  Mat  to  be  spred  on  the  ground, 
where  hee  sate  downe  with  a  great  Majestie,  taking  a  pipe  of 
Tobacco :  the  rest  of  his  company  standing  about  him.  After 
he  had  rested  awhile  he  rose,  and  made  signes  to  us  to  come 
to  his  Towne.  Hee  went  formost,  and  all  the  rest  of  his 
people  and  ourselves  followed  him  up  a  steepe  Hill  where 
his  Palace  was  settled.  We  passed  through  the  Woods  in  fine 
paths,  having  most  pleasant  Springs  which  issued  from  the 
Mountains :    We  also  went  through  the  goodliest  Corne  ficldes 


56  LIFE   IN"   OLD  VIRGINIA 

that  ever  was  seene  in  any  countrey.  When  we  came  to  Kap- 
pahannas  Towne,  he  entertained  us  in  good  humanitie." 

The  chief  of  the  Appomattox  tribe  who  lived  at  what  is 
now  Bermuda  Hundred,  Chesterfield  County,  bade  them  de- 
fiance, demanding  their  business  upon  his  territory  and  de- 
sired that  they  should  be  gone,  but  at  last  permitted  their 
"  landing  in  quietness." 

"  The  eight  of  May  wee  discovered  up  the  Kiver.  We 
landed  in  the  countrey  of  Apamatica,  at  our  landing,  there 
came  many  stout  and  able  Savages  to  resist  us  with  their 
Bowes  and  Arrowes,  in  a  most  warlike  manner,  with  the 
swords  at  their  backes  beset  with  sharpe  stones,  and  pieces 
of  iron  able  to  cleave  a  man  in  sunder.  Amongst  the  rest 
one  of  the  chiefest  standing  before  them  crosse  legged,  with 
his  Arrow  readie  in  his  Bow  in  one  hand,  and  taking  a  Pipe 
of  Tobacco  in  the  other,  with  a  bold  uttering  of  his  speech, 
demanded  of  us  our  being  there,  willing  us  to  bee  gone.  Wee 
made  signs  of  peace,  which  they  perceived  in  the  end,  and  let 
us  land  in  quietnesse." 

They  were  almost  determined  to  settle  at  Archers  Hope, 
but  finally  decide  upon  a  point  of  land  which  they  afterwards 
named  Jamestown. 

"The  twelfth  day  we  went  backe  to  our  ships,  and  dis- 
covered a  point  of  Land,  called  Archers  Hope,  which  was 
sufficient  with  a  little  harbour  to  defend  ourselves  against  an 
enemy.  The  soile  was  good  and  fruitfull,  with  excellent  good 
Timber.  There  are  also  stores  of  Vines  in  bignesse  of  a  mans 
thigh  running  up  to  the  tops  of  the  Trees  in  great  abundance. 
We  also  did  see  many  Squirrels,  Conies,  Black  Birds  with 
crimson  wings,  and  divers  other  Fowles  and  Birds  of  divers 
and  sundrie  colours  of  crimson." 

"We  found  store  of  Turkee  nests  and  many  Egges,  if  it 
had  not  beene  disliked,  because  the  ship  could  not  ride  neere 
the  shoare,  we  had  settled  there  to  all  the  Collonies  content- 
ment." 


THE   FOUNDING   OF  AX   ENGLISH   NATION  57 

"  The  thirteenth  day,  we  came  to  our  seating  place  in  Pas- 
pihas  Countrey,  some  eight  miles  from  the  point  of  Land, 
which  I  made  mention  before;  where  our  shippes  doe  lie  so 
neare  the  shoare  that  they  are  moored  to  the  Trees  in  six 
fathom  water." 

"  The  fourteenth  day  they  completed  the  landing  of  men 
and  stores  and  set  to  work  building  fortifications  "  which  they 
did  not  finsh  until  the  middle  of  June  following. 

Thus  began  at  Jamestown  on  May  14th,  the  first  permanent 
settlement  of  English  speaking  people  upon  the  continent  of 
America,  and  with  this  small  beginning,  and  upon  this  small 
plot  of  ground  sprang  the  first  aspirations  for  the  freedom 
which  culminated  in  our  present  form  of  government. 

They  took  possession  of  this  land  without  leave,  or  license, 
other  than  their  doubtful  chartered  authority  from  the  King 
of  England,  notwithstanding  the  lands  were  occupied  by  a 
nearby  tribe,  known  as  the  Paspihas,  whose  chief  or  king 
generously  sent  them  word  by  his  messengers,  who  were 
gorgeously  decorated  by  him  for  the  occasion,  that  he  was 
coming  to  visit  his  white  neighbors,  and  bring  them  a  fat 
deer  and  be  merry  with  them. 

When  he  last  met  them,  on  May  4th,  he  did  not  know  they 
would  settle  upon  his  lands,  nevertheless  it  does  not  appear 
that  he  objected,  for  on  the  fourth  day  after  their  seating, 
Paspiha  came  to  Jamestown  accompanied  by  one  hundred  of 
his  scantily  clothed  warriors,  but  each  of  them  gorgeous  with 
feathers,  and  paint,  to  make  merry  with  the  whites.  The 
colonists  mistrusted  the  object  of  the  visit  because  they  came 
armed  and  instead  of  making  merry  with  him  and  his  follow- 
ers, they  soon  quarreled  with  one  of  his  men,  and  boat  him 
severely  because  he  picked  up  one  of  their  hatchets,  perhaps 
from  f-uriosity.     Their  trea  so  disgusted  ha  that 

he  "  went  suddenly  away  with  all  his  company  in  greal  ang 
Before  leaving,  however,  he  "made  signes  that  he  would  give 
us  as  much  land  as  we  would  d  ke."    Two  days  I 


58  LIFE   IX    OLD   VIRGINIA 

he  sent  them  a  deer.  A  trick  was  played  upon  one  of  the 
Indians  who  came  with  the  deer,  by  one  of  the  whites  setting 
up  a  target  of  wood  through  which  he  boastfully  shot  his  ar- 
row; they  next  set  up  a  target  of  steel,  and  upon  shooting 
again  he  "  burst  his  arrow  all  to  pieces/'  at  which  he  was  so 
maddened  that  he  drew  another  arrow  and  "bit  it  in  his 
teeth,  and  seemed  to  be  in  a  great  rage,  so  he  went  away  in 
great  anger." 

This  hospitable  Savage  subsequently,  at  the  instigation  of 
Powhatan,  and  because  of  some  injustice  inflicted  upon  his 
tribe  by  the  colonists,  laid  in  wait  at  the  glass  house  near 
Jamestown  for  the  purpose  of  assassinating  Captain  John 
Smith.  On  this  occasion,  Paspiha  nearly  succeeded  in  drown- 
ing Smith,  but  the  latter  finally  conquered  the  Indian,  and 
was  upon  the  point  of  running  his  sword  through  him,  when 
the  savage  begged  piteously  for  his  life.  Smith  forced  him 
to  march  to  Jamestown,  where  he  was  put  in  prison,  but  in 
a  few  days  he  effected  his  escape. 

In  1610,  the  colonists  under  Lord  Delaware  drove  the  tribe 
of  Paspiha  off  their  lands,  burnt  their  houses,  took  the  wife 
and  children  of  this  chief  prisoners  and  slew  them.1 

The  Colony  selected  an  inland  seating  place  according  to 
"  Instructions."  The  colonists  overlooked  and  passed  by 
regions  of  plenty,  where  the  lands  were  fertile,  and  the 
forests  were  filled  with  wild  game,  and  the  salt  waters  teemed 
with  the  bounteous  stores  of  nature,  and  seated  instead  upon 
a  barren  island  where  the  surrounding  waters  were  neither 
salt  nor  fresh.  They  doubtless  were  guided  in  their  selection 
of  this  seating  place  by  their  "  Instructions  "  from  the  Com- 
pany, "to  be  followed  on  landing." 

xThe  first  colonists,  whether  at  Roanoke  or  Virginia,  were 
unfortunately  ungrateful  for  past  favors  received  at  the  hands 
of  the  aborigines  of  the  new  world  as  instanced  in  the  killing  of 
Wingina,  and  of  Paspiha's  wife  and  children,  all  of  whom  should 
have  been  the  recipients  of  the  best  of  treatment  at  the  hands 
of  the  English. 


THE    FOUNDING   OF   AN    ENGLISH    NATION  59 

"  Where  it  shall  please  God  to  send  you  on  the  Coast  of 
Virginia,  you  shall  do  your  best  endeavour  to  find  out  a  safe 
port  in  the  entrance  of  some  navigable  river,  making  choice 
of  such  a  one  as  runneth  farthest  into  the  land.  When  you 
have  made  choice  of  the  river  on  which  you  mean  to  settle, 
be  not  hasty  in  loading  your  vituals  and  munitions,  but  first 
let  Captain  Xewport  discover  how  far  that  river  may  be  found 
navigable,  that  you  make  selection  of  the  strongest,  most 
wholesome  and  fertile  place,  for  if  you  make  many  removes, 
besides  loss  of  time,  you  shall  greatly  spoil  your  vituals  and 
your  casks. 

"  But  if  you  choose  your  place  so  far  up  as  a  baric  of  50 
tons  will  float,  then  you  may  lay  all  your  provisions  ashore 
with  ease,  and  the  better  receive  the  trade  of  all  the  countries 
about  you  in  the  land,  and  such  a  place  you  may  perchance 
find  a  hundred  miles  from  the  rivers  mouth,  and  the  further 
up  the  better,  for  if  you  set  down  near  the  entrance,  except 
it  be  in  some  island  that  is  strong  by  nature,  an  enemy  that 
may  approach  you  on  even  ground  may  easily  put  you  out;  and 
if  he  be  driven  to  seek  you  a  hundred  miles  the  land  in  boats, 
you  shall  from  both  sides  of  the  river  where  it  is  narrowest, 
so  beat  them  with  your  muskets  as  they  shall  never  be  able 
to  prevail  against  you. 

"  Neither  must  you  plant  in  a  low  or  moist  place,  because 
it  will  prove  unhealthful.  You  shall  judge  of  the  good  air 
by  the  people,  for  some  part  of  the  Coast  where  the  lands  are 
low  have  their  people  blear  eyed,  and  with  swollen  bellies 
and  legs,  but  if  the  naturals  be  strong  and  clean  made  it  is 
a  sign  of  a  wholesome  soil." 

Jamestown  Island,  the  final  seating  place,  and  the  first 
capital  of  the  colony/  lies  on  the  north  side  of  James  River, 

JAt  the  date  of  their  seating  at  Jamestown,  the  only  other 
settlements  of  whites  within  the  present  limits  of  the  United 
States,  Including  the  territories,  were  at  St.  Augustine,  Florida, 
founded  in  15G5,  and  at  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  settled  in  1582. 


60  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

in  James  City  County,  within  the  Tidewater  Division  known 
as  "  The  Peninsula/'  about  thirty-two  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  It  averages  two  and  a  half  miles  in  length  and 
three-quarters  miles  in  breadth — about  1,700  acres.  It  is  sur- 
rounded on  three  sides  by  James  Elver,  and  on  the  north  side 
by  Back  Eiver,  which  separates  it  from  the  mainland.  The 
island  itself,  and  the  surrounding  country  contains  little  evi- 
dence of  the  struggles  of  its  early  inhabitants.  There  is  stand- 
ing the  ruins  of  the  brick  church;  a  lonely  monument  to  the 
drudgery,  the  toil,  and  the  labors  of  the  ninety-one  years  spent 
by  the  colonists  in  their  endeavors  to  build  up  and  maintain 
a  capital  city.1 

It  was  in  the  "  Peninsula  Division  "  of  Tidewater  Virginia 
that  the  colonists  had  their  greatest  hardships  and  struggles, 
and  the  most  depressing,  as  well  as  the  most  successful  and 
joyous  periods  of  their  early  history  as  a  colony.  It  was 
while  Jamestown  was  the  seat  of  government  that  they  ex- 
perienced all  the  sensations  of  famine,  disease,  despair,  and 
massacre  by  the  savage  natives,  to  which  was  added  civil  war 
amongst  themselves  through  Bacon's  rebellion  which  destroyed 
many  homes  and  made  the  town  a  waste  place. 

Captain  John  Smith  in  one  of  his  narratives,  describes  the 
first  days  of  settlement  upon  Jamestown  island :  "  When  I 
went  first  to  Virginia,  I  well  remember  we  did  hang  an  awn- 
ing which  is  an  old  sail  to  three  or  four  trees  to  shadow  us 
from  the  sun ;  our  walls  were  rails  of  wood,  our  seats  unhewed 
trees  till  we  cut  planks;  our  pulpit  a  bar  of  wood  nailed  to 
two  neighboring  trees ;  in  fine  weather  we  shifted  into  an  old 
rotten  tent,  for  we  had  no  better.     The  best  of  our  houses 

Prior  to  the  naming  of  "  Virginia "  by  Queen  Elizabeth,  the 
whole  of  the  continent  on  the  Atlantic  shores  was  referred  to 
indefinitely  as  Florida. 

1  The  seat  of  government  was  maintained  at  Jamestown,  from 
1607  to  1698,  ninety  one  years,  after  which  it  was  removed  to  Wil- 
liamsburg. 


THE    FOUNDING    OF   AX    ENGLISH    NATION  61 

were  of  the  like  curiosity  but  for  the  most  part,  much  worse 
workmanship  that  neither  could  well  defend  wind  or  rain." 

The  great  abundance  which  the  colonists  found  in  their  new 
home  was  described  by  George  Percy,  one  of  the  gentlemen 
colonists  in  his  letter  relative  to  the  James  River: 

"  This  river  which  we  have  discovered  is  one  of  the  famous- 
est  Rivers  that  ever  was  found  by  any  christian,  it  ebbes  and 
flowes  a  hundred  and  three  score  miles  where  ships  of  great 
burthen  may  harbour  in  safetie.  "Wheresoever  we  landed  upon 
this  River,  we  saw  the  goodliest  Woods  as  Beach,  Oke,  Cedar,1 
Cypress,  Walnuts,  Sassafras,  and  Vines  in  great  abundance 
which  clusters  on  in  many  Trees,  and  all  the  grounds  bespread 
with  strawberries,  mulberries,  Rasberries,  and  Fruits  un- 
knowne,  there  are  many  branches  of  this  River  which  runne 
flowing  through  the  Woods  with  great  plentie  of  Fish  of  all 
kinds,  as  for  Sturgeoon,  all  the  World  cannot  be  compared 
to  it.  There  is  also  a  great  store  of  Deere  both  Red  and  Fal- 
low. There  are  Beares,  Foxes,  Otters,  Beavers,  Muskrats, 
and  wild  beasts  unknowne." 

Notwithstanding  this  great  abundance,  the  colonists  during 
their  first  few  years  of  settlement  suffered  much  for  want  of 
food.  This  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  greater  number  of 
them  were  unfitted  by  experience,  or  inclination,  to  the  new 
surroundings.  The  majority  of  them  was  brought  up  in  cities 
or  towns  of  England,  with  no  experience  in  rural  life.  Many 
of  them  were  registered  as  gentlemen — a  class  between  the 
nobles  and  peasants, — some  of  whom  were  too  proud  to  work 
and  too  poor  to  live  without  labor.  Others  were  named  as 
mechanics  or  laborers,  but  none  were  experienced  in  wood- 
craft, nor  in  the  labors  of  rural  life,  nor  as  sailors  nor  fisher- 
men.' 

1  It  will  bo  noticed  that  Percy  does  not  mention  the  Pines. 
He  mistook  the  pine  trees  for  Cedars  with  which  he  was  most 
familiar. 

'Captain  Smith  n  one  of  hi  Uvea  his  crew  of 

twelve  mon   which  h<  with  him   on  one  of  his  voyages  of 


62  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

When  Smith  became  president,  he  put  the  gentlemen 
and  others  to  work.  He  told  them  "  the  sick  shall  not  starve, 
but  equally  share  of  all  our  labours,  and  every  one  that  gather- 
eth  not  every  day  as  much  as  I  doe,  the  next  daie  shall  be  set 
beyond  the  river  and  be  banished  from  the  fort  and  live  there 
or  starve." 

One  of  the  colonists,  himself  a  gentleman  no  doubt,  de- 
scribes the  pleasure,  and  recreation  which  some  of  the  gentle- 
men colonists  who  came  with  the  second  expedition  to  James- 
town, had  in  chopping  trees  in  the  woods  under  the  chosen 
direction  of  Captain  Smith. 

"Amongst  the  rest  he  (Smith)  had  chosen  Gabriel  Beadell 
and  John  Russell,  the  only  two  gallants  of  this  last  supply, 
and  both  proper  gentlemen;  strange  were  these  pleasures  to 
their  conditions,  yet  lodging,  eating,  drinking,  working,  or 
playing  they  doeing  but  as  the  President,  all  these  things 
were  carried  on  so  pleasantly  as  within  a  weeke  they  became 
masters  (proficient),  making  it  their  delight  to  hear  the  trees 
thunder  as  they  fell,  but  the  axes  so  oft  blistered  their  fingers 
that  every  third  blow  had  a  loud  oath  to  drowne  the  echo,  for 
remedy  of  which  sin  the  President  devised  how  to  have  every 
man's  oath  numbered,  and  at  night  for  every  oath  to  have 
a  can  of  water  poured  down  his  sleeve,  with  which  every 
offender  was  so  washed  (himself  and  all)  that  a  man  should 
scarce  hear  an  oath  in  a  week." 

Sir  George  Percy  wrote  more  of  conditions  at  Jamestown : 

"  Our  men  were  destroyed  with  ceverell  diseases  as  Swell- 
ings, Fluxes,  Burning  Fevers,  and  by  Warres,  and  some  de- 
parted suddenly,  but  for  the  most  part  they  died  of  famine. 
There  were  never  Englishmen  left  in  a  foreign  Countrey 

discovery:  "Not  a  mariner,  or  any  that  had  skill  to  trim  their 
sayles,  use  their  oares,  or  any  business  belonging  to  the  Barge 
but  2  or  3.  The  rest  being  Gentlemen,  or  as  ignorant  in  such 
toyle  and  labour,  yet  necessity,  in  a  short  time  by  their  Captaines 
diligence  and  example  taught  them  to  become  perfect." 


THE    FOUNDING    Or   AN    ENGLISH   NATION  63 

in  such  miserie  as  wee  were  in  this  new  discovered  Virginia. 
Our  food  was  but  a  small  can  of  Barlie  sod  in  Water  to  five 
men  a  day,  our  drinke  cold  water  taken  out  of  the  River; 
which  was  at  a  flood  verie  salt,  at  a  low  tide  full  of  slime 
and  filth,  which  was  the  destruction  of  our  men.  Thus  we 
lived  for  a  space  of  five  months  in  this  miserable  distress.  It 
please  God,  after  a  while,  to  send  these  people  which  were  our 
mortall  enemies  to  relieve  us  with  victuals,  as  Bread,  Corne, 
•Fish  and  Flesh  in  great  plentie,  *  *  *  otherwise  we  had 
all  perished." 

Out  of  105  colonists  living  in  June,  1607,  sixty-seven  died 
during  the  following  six  months.  Out  of  the  total  of  more 
than  14,000  persons  who  came  to  Virginia,  from  the  years 
1607  to  1622,  only  1,258  were  surviving  at  the  time  of  the 
Indian  massacre  by  Opechancanough,  in  1G22.  This  massa- 
cre reduced  the  colony  from  1,258  persons  to  911,  who  sur- 
vived it. 

They  drank  the  briny,  sickening  waters  from  the  James 
River  for  more  than  twelve  months  before  digging  a  well. 
Their  failure  to  guard  and  take  care  of  their  ship's  cargo  of 
food  resulted  in  its  destruction  by  decay  and  by  rats,  and 
their  consequent  starvation  followed.  They  paid  little  or  no 
attention  to  sanitary  precautions  within  the  town,  and  diseases 
followed  their  neglect.  They  were  totally  lacking  in  the  ex- 
periences required  in  their  new  surroundings. 


CHAPTER  VI 
Captain  John  Smith 


Of  the  whole  number  who  adventured  among  the  first  few 
colonists  to  Virginia,  Captain  John  Smith  appeared  to  be  the 
one  best  fitted  to  the  hardships  and  dangers  which  befell  them 
during  these  first  years  of  settlement.  His  past  experience  as 
a  sailor,  a  soldier,  and  a  traveler  in  foreign  lands,  and  his 
undaunted  courage  and  daring,  and  ready  wit  were  the  quali- 
ties of  manhood  most  needed  in  the  new  world  at  that  period. 

The  greater  number  of  those  who  adventured  during  the 
first  few  years  of  the  settlement  were  born  and  raised  in  the 
English  cities  or  towns.  They  knew  not  how  to  accommodate 
themselves  to  the  new  and  rough  life  incident  to  the  pioneer 
in  such  an  enterprise.  They  were  ignorant  of  woodcraft,  and 
could  "  neither  fish  nor  cut  bait,"  else  they  should  not  have 
starved  in  this  region  where  the  waters,  and  the  forests  teemed 
with  great  abundance  of  food. 

On  the  voyage  from  England,  Smith  was  accused  of  insub- 
ordination by  Wingfield,  who  later  was  the  first  President  of 
the  colony.  Smith  was  placed  under  guard  for  nearly  six 
weeks.  He  was  finally  exonerated  and  released,  and  from  that 
date  until  he  left  Virginia  in  October,  1609,  he  was  the  busiest 
and  most  useful  of  all  the  colonists  in  seeking  and  procuring 
food  from  the  natives  for  the  colony,  and  in  exploring  and 
discovering  the  country  in  accordance  with  instructions  from 
the  Company  to  find  an  outlet  to  the  "  East  India  Sea/'  He 
was  the  most  central  figure  in  all  the  important  events  which 
transpired  in  Virginia  during  his  stay. 

His  history  before  and  after  coming  to  Virginia  is  interest- 
ing and  exciting.    He  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  in 

[64] 


CAPTAIN    JOHN    SMITH  66 

January,  15?  9,  and  was  therefore  little  more  than  twenty- 
eight  years  of  age  when  he  reached  Virginia.  From  early 
youth  he  was  a  soldier  of  fortune,  and  the  most  fortunate  of 
men  in  being  granted  the  assistance  of  the  gentler  sex  when- 
ever and  wherever  needed  in  his  greatest  perils.  In  one  of 
his  books  descriptive  of  Xew  England  and  Virginia  which  he 
dedicated  to  the  Duchess  of  Richmond  and  Lenox,  he  pa}rs 
the  following  beautiful  compliment  to  the  "  Ladies." 

"  Yet  my  comfort  is,  that  heretofore  honorable  and  vertuous 
Ladies,  and  comparable  but  amongst  themselves,  have  offered 
me  rescue  and  protection  in  my  greatest  dangers;  even  in 
foreine  parts.  The  beauteous  Lady  Tragabizanda,  when  I  was 
a  slave  to  the  Turkes  did  all  she  could  to  secure  me.  When  I 
overcame  the  Bashaw  of  Kalbrits  in  Tartaria,  the  Charitable 
Lady  Caliamata  supplyed  me  necessities.  In  the  utmost  of 
many  extremities,  that  blessed  Pokahontas,  the  great  Kings 
daughter,  of  Virginia,  oft  saved  my  life.  When  I  escaped  the 
cruelties  of  Pirates  and  most  furious  storms,  a  long  time  alone 
in  a  small  boat  at  sea,  and  was  driven  ashore  in  France,  the 
good  Lady  Madam  Chanoves  bountifully  assisted  me." 

The  most  perilous  of  Captain  John  Smith's  many  voyages 
of  discovery  through  Virginia  occurred  up  the  Chickahominy 
River.  On  December  10,  1G07,  Captain  John  Smith  with  a 
crew  of  nine  men  went  up  the  Chickahominy  River  to  discover 
a  passage  to  the  South  Sea,  and  to  obtain  corn  for  the  colony. 
The  explorers  proceeded  in  a  barge  about  ten  miles  beyond 
Apocant,  an  Indian  village  on  the  Chickahominy,  and  finding 
the  river  impeded  with  fallen  timber,  they  returned  to  Apo- 
cant where  Smith  left  seven  of  the  crew  with  instructions  to 
remain  on  board  the  barge  and  be  on  guard  against  surprise 
by  the  Indians.  He  hired  two  Indian  guides,  and  with  two 
of  his  crew,  Robinson  and  Emery,  went  about  twenty  miles 
farther  up  the  river.  Here  he  went  ashore  to  shoot  some 
game  for  food.  He  left  the  two  whites  and  one  Indian  guide 
in  the  canoe,  and  took  with  him  the  other  Indian  guide.  The 
5 


06  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

crew  of  his  barge  at  Apocant  disobeyed  his  command  and  went 
ashore  where  one  of  them,  George  Cassen,  was  captured  by 
Opechancanough,  who  with  three  hundred  of  his  men  was 
there  on  a  hunting  expedition.  They  learned  from  Cassen 
where  Smith  had  gone,  and  then  put  him  t©  death  in  a  most 
cruel  and  barbarous  manner,  after  which  they  went  in  pursuit 
of  Smith.  When  Smith  left  the  canoe,  Emery  and  Eobinson 
went  ashore,  built  a  fire  and  went  to  sleep.  Here  they  were 
found  by  Opechancanough  and  shot  to  death  with  arrows. 
The  Indians  then  followed  Smith  and  his  guide  through  the 
forest.  When  Smith  discovered  the  Indians  he  "  bound  his 
Indian  guide  to  his  arm  for  a  buckler  and  received  their  at- 
tack so  smartly  with  his  fire  arms  that  he  soon  laid  three  dead 
upon  the  spot,  and  so  wounded  and  galled  divers  others,  that 
none  of  them  cared  to  approach  him."  In  attempting  to  re- 
turn to  his  canoe  "  he  suddenly  slipped  up  to  his  middle  into 
an  oozy  creek.  Altho'  he  was  thus  hampered,  yet  none  of 
them  durst  come  near  him,  till,  being  almost  dead  with  cold, 
he  threw  away  his  arms  and  surrendered.  Then  drawing  him 
out,  they  carried  him  to  the  fire  where  his  men  were  slain 
and  carefully  chafed  his  benumbed  limbs.  When  Smith  re- 
covered from  his  chill  he  was  conducted  to  Opechancanough 
to  whom  he  presented  a  round  ivory  double  compass  dial,  and 
explained  its  use.  In  this  the  Indians  were  much  interested 
and  they  were  much  surprised  to  see  the  fly  and  needle  in 
motion,  and  yet  they  could  not  touch  them  because  of  the 
glass  covering.  Yet  within  an  hour  after,  they  tied  him  to  a 
tree,  and  drew  up  in  order  to  shoot  him.  But  Opechancanough 
holding  up  the  compass  in  his  hand,  they  all  laid  down  their 


arms.1 


1  The  story  of  Smith's  adventure  is  graphically  told  by  many 
of  the  early  writers,  amongst  whom  were  Thomas  Studley,  the 
first  Cape  merchant  of  Virginia,  and  Stith,  and  Burke,  the 
historians.  They  all  agree  as  to  the  main  facts,  but  Burke  in 
his  relation  is  the  more  florid  in  description  of  the  several 
scenes  in  which  Smith  was  the  principal  participant. 


CAPTAIN    JOHN    SMITH  67 

Smith  was  led  about  by  his  captors  throughout  the  several 
settlements  between  the  James  and  Potomac  rivers  before 
being  brought  to  Powhatan  at  Werowocomoco  in  Gloucester 
County. 

Smith  has  narrated  that  he  was  carried  "from  place  to 
place,  and  to  Topahanocke,  a  kingdom  upon  another  river 
(Rappahannock)  northward;  because  the  year  before  a  ship 
had  been  in  the  river  Pamunke  (York),  who  having  been 
kindly  entertained  by  Powhatan  their  Emperor  they  returned 
thence  and  discovered  the  river  of  Topahanocke  (Rappahan- 
nock) where  being  received  with  like  kindness,  yet  he  slew 
the  king,  and  took  of  his  people,  and  they  supposed  I  were  he, 
but  the  people  (of  Tappahannock)  reported  him  a  great 
(large)  man  that  was  Captain,  and  they  using  me  kindly,  the 
next  day  (Dec.  28,  1607)  we  departed" — out  of  Tappahan- 
nock. 

Thos.  Studley,  the  first  Cape  Merchant  of  Virginia,  who 
was  at  Jamestown  when  Smith  returned  wrote:     "At  last 
they  brought  him  (Smith)  to  Werowocomoco  where  was  Pow- 
hatan their  Emperor.  Here  more  than  200  of  those  grim  Cour- 
tiers stood  wondering  at  him,  as  he  had  been  a  monster;  till 
Powhatan  and  his  trayne  had  put  themselves  in  their  greatest 
traveries.     Before  a  fire  upon  a  seat  like  a  bedstead,  he  sat 
covered  with  a  great  fur  robe  of  Rarowoun  (Raccoon)  skinnes, 
and  all  the  tayles  hanging  by.     On  either  hand  did  sit  a 
young  wench  of  16  or  18  years,  and  along  on  each  side  the 
house,  two  rowes  of  men,  and  behind  them  as  many  women, 
with  their  heads  and  shoulders  painted  red,  and  many  of  their 
heads  bedecked  with  the  white  downe  of  Birds;  but  every 
one  with  something :  and  a  great  chayne  of  white  beads  about 
their  necks.    At  his  entrance  before  the  King,  all  the  people 
gave  a  great  shout.     The  Queene  of  Appamattuck  was  ap- 
pointed to  bring  him  water  to  wash  his  hands,  and  another 
brought  him  a  bunch  of  feathers,  in  stead  of  a  Towcll  to  dry 
them:  having  seated  him  after  their  best  barbarous  manner 


68  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

they  could,  a  long  consultation  was  held,  but  the  conclusion 
was,  two  great  stones  were  brought  before  Powhatan  then  as 
many  as  could,  layd  hands  on  him,  dragged  him  to  them,  and 
thereon  laid  his  head,  and  being  ready  with  their  clubs  to  beate 
out  his  braines,  Pocahontas  the  Kings  dearest  daughter,  when 
no  intreaty  could  prevaile,  got  his  head  in  her  armes,  and  laid 
her  owne  upon  his  to  save  him  from  death:  Whereat  the 
Emperour  was  contented  he  should  live  to  make  him  hatchets, 
and  her  bells,  beads,  and  copper ;  for  they  thought  him  as  well 
of  all  occupations  as  themselves,  for  the  King  himselfe  will 
make  his  owne  robes,  shooes,  bowes,  arrowes,  pots,  plant,  hunt, 
or  doe  anything  so  well  as  the  rest." 

Smith  was  released  and  sent  to  Jamestown  with  an  escort 
of  twelve  guides  to  bring  back  a  grindstone  and  two  great 
guns  (cannon)  to  Powhatan,  in  return  for  which  he  (Pow- 
hatan) promised  Smith  "  the  country  of  Capahowsick,  &  to 
love  him  as  his  own  son,  Nantaquasas." 

Upon  their  return  to  Jamestown  "  the  guides  were  kindly 
treated,  and  Smith  showed  Eawhunt,  the  favorite  warrior  of 
Powhatan  two  demi-culverins  (long  slender  cannon),  and  a 
grindstone,  which  he  told  him  they  were  at  liberty  to  take  to 
their  master.  Having  vainly  attempted  to  lift  the  pieces, 
Smith  discharged  them,  loaded  with  stone,  against  the 
branches  of  a  tree  hung  with  icicles.  The  Indians  were  so 
terrified  at  the  report,  and  at  the  crash  of  the  shattered  and 
falling  ice  and  branches,  that  they  fled.  But  being  assured  of 
their  safety,  by  the  messengers  despatched  after  them,  they 
returned,  and  were  sent  back  with  various  toys  for  Powhatan, 
his  wives  and  children." 

After  Smith's  release,  his  rescuer,  Pocahontas,  continued  to 
show  her  friendship  for  him.  She  was  a  frequent  visitor  to 
Jamestown,  always  bringing  with  her  some  substantial  evi- 
dence of  friendship.  Studley  said  of  her :  "  Ever  once  in  three 
or  foure  dayes,  Pocahontas,  with  her  attendants  brought  him 
"(Smith)  so  much  provision  that  saved  many  of  their  lives,  that 


CAPTAIN    JOHN    SAIITH 


69 


els  for  all  this  had  starved  with  hunger."  Upon  many  occa- 
sions she  gave  Smith  warnings  of  the  hostile  intents  of  her 
father,  Powhatan,  towards  the  colony,  thereby  often  saving  it 
from  destruction. 

So  long  as  Smith  remained  in  Virginia,  she  continued  her 
friendly  visits,  but  upon  learning  of  his  departure  she  never 
again  went  there  until  as  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  Argall, 
in  1612.  When  the  latter  was  trading  up  the  Potomac  for 
corn,  he  learned  from  Japazaus,  an  Indian  chief,  that  Poca- 
hontas was  visiting  with  his  tribe.  Argall  persuaded  this  chief 
to  entice  her  aboard  the  vessel.  For  this  treachery  he  was 
rewarded  by  a  copper  kettle  for  himself  and  some  toys  for  his 
wife  who  aided  him.  The  object  of  her  capture  was  to  induce 
her  father  to  make  peace  with  the  colony.  She  was  carried 
to  Jamestown  where  she  was  well  treated  by  all.  While  there 
she  renounced  the  idolatrous  faith  of  her  people,  and  was  bap- 
tized into  the  Episcopal  faith  and  named  Eebecca.  In  1613 
she  married  John  Eolfe,  a  colonist  widower.  They  resided 
at  Varina  on  the  James  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles  from  Eich- 
mond  City.  Eolfe  was  the  first  to  plant  and  cultivate  tobacco 
for  export.  In  1616  in  company  with  his  wife,  he  sailed  in 
Dale's  ship  to  Plymouth,  England,  arriving  there  June  12. 

During  her  visit  to  England,  and  especially  in  London,  she 
was  entertained  by  the  King  and  Queen  and  the  nobility,  and 
much  ceremonial  attentions  were  paid  her  as  the  daughter  of 
an  Emperor,  though  an  Indian. 

Her  meeting  again  with  Captain  John  Smith  in  England 
was  romantic  and  affecting  because  she  was  led  to  believe  he 
was  long  since  dead.  Upon  their  meeting  she  was  so  overcome 
with  surprise  that  for  a  long  while  she  could  not  find  utterance 
for  her  feelings,  but  laid  her  head  in  her  hands  and  wept.  She 
then  indignantly  accused  the  English  as  "great  liars,"  and 
told  him  she  had  heard  he  was  dead.  She  was  greatly  sur- 
prised to  learn  that  Smith  was  not  as  big  a  man  in  England 
as  in  Virginia. 


70  LIFE  IN   OLD  VIRGINIA      . 

Upon  the  eve  of  her  return  to  Virginia,  she  was  taken  sick, 
and  died,  leaving  one  son,  named  Thomas  Rolf  e,  who  later  came 
to  Virginia.  His  descendants,  many  of  whom  distinguished 
themselves  otherwise,  proudly  claim  kinship  to  his  mother,  the 
"  Queen  of  the  Wild  Woods  of  America." 

Pocahontas  was  buried  at  St.  George  Parish,  Gravesend, 
England,  March  21,  1616.  Her  husband,  John  Rolfe,  again 
married.  He  was  probably  killed  in  the  Indian  massacre  of 
1622. 

Captain  John  Smith  subsequently  made  a  voyage  to  New 
England,  after  which  he  was  called  "Admiral  of  New  Eng- 
land." He  died  in  England  June  21,  1631,  and  was  buried 
at  St.  Sepulchre  Church,  London.  His  whole  life  was  full 
of  adventure. 


CHAPTER  VII 
The  Place  of  Smith's  Rescue 


In  the  previous  chapter  has  been  told  the  story  of  Smith's 
rescue  by  Pocahontas.  This  event  occurred  in  Gloucester 
County,  upon  what  is  now  known  as  "  Eosewell "  plantation, 
the  former  home  of  Governor  John  Page,1  but  now  the  resi- 
dence of  Judge  Fielding  L.  Taylor. 

At  the  date  of  Smith's  capture,  this  land  was  one  of  the 
principal  places  of  residence  of  the  Indian  Emperor  Powhatan, 
and  was  called  "  AVerowocomoco."  Smith  in  his  book  says : 
"At  Werowocomoco,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  Pamaunkee 
(York)  was  his  (Powhatan's)  residence  when  I  was  delivered 
him  prisoner,  some  14  myles  from  James  Towne,  where  for  the 
most  part  he  was  resident."    The  York  was  then  called  Pa- 

1  Governor  Page  was  born  at  Rosewell,  Gloucester  County, 
April  17,  1744.  His  great  grandfather  was  an  English  mer- 
chant who  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  Virginia.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Colonial  Council  in  the  reign  of  William 
and  Mary,  was  with  Washington  in  his  expedition  against  the 
French  and  Indians;  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses, 
a  delegate  to  the  convention  which  framed  the  Virginia  State 
Constitution,  and  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  public  safety 
during  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  raised  a  regiment  of  militia 
in  his  county,  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  representatives  in  Congress  from  his  state.  In  1800,  he 
was  a  presidential  elector,  and  in  1802,  he  was  the  successor 
of  James  Monroe  as  Governor  of  Virginia.  At  the  expiration  of 
three  years  as  governor,  he  was  appointed  by  President  Jefferson 
U.  S.  Commissioner  of  Loans  for  Virginia,  which  office  he  con- 
tinued to  hold  until  his  death  in  Richmond  City,  October  11, 
1808.  He  was  a  large  land  holder,  a  learned  statesman  and  an 
admirable  soldier. 

[71] 


72  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

raaunkee.    The  historian  Stith  describes  its  position  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  Werowocomoco  lay  on  the  north  side  of  York  River,  in 
Gloucester  County,  nearly  opposite  to  the  mouth  of  Queena 
Creek,  about  twenty-five  miles  below  the  fork  of  the  river." 
The  fork  of  the  river  referred  to  is  now  known  as  West  Point 
where  the  Mattaponi  and  Pamunkey  rivers  join  and  form 
the  York  River. 

Queens  Creek  is  in  York  County  on  the  south  side  of  the 
York  River.  It  empties  into  that  river  nearly  opposite  but 
above  the  mouth  of  Carters  Creek,  Gloucester  County, 
upon  this  Carters  creek  is  situated  Rosewell  mansion  and 
lands.  Until  the  marriage  of  one  of  the  daughters  of  "  King 
Carter  "  of  Lancaster  with  one  of  the  Page  family,  Carters 
Creek  was  called  Rosewell  Creek. 

Werowocomoco,  now  "Rosewell,"  is  situated  upon  one  of 
the  most  lovely  of  nature's  quiet  beauty  spots  to  be  found  in 
the  whole  of  Tidewater  Virginia.  Rosewell  lawn,  and  the  man- 
sion built  upon  it,  have  a  most  romantic  connection  with 
America's  early  history.  The  grounds  of  this  lawn  are  con- 
nected with  the  birth  and  naming  of  Pocahontas,  the  rescue 
of  Captain  John  Smith,  and  with  later  incidents  of  Smith's 
meeting  with  Powhatan,  and  with  Captain  Newport's  endeavor 
to  crown  this  great  Indian  as  Emperor. 

The  mansion  has  interesting  historical  value  as  the  home 
of  Governor  Page  and  as  the  place  of  frequent  visits  of 
Thomas  Jefferson. 

The  lawn  is  a  point  of  land  jutting  out  into  Carters  Creek 
which  winds  around  it  and  forms  a.  little  bay  or  bight  upon 
its  southern  end.  The  surrounding  lands,  and  the  waters  of 
Carters  Creek  mingle  so  harmoniously  as  to  play  hide  and  seek 
until  they  reach  the  inner  shores  of  "  Blundering  Point,"  at 
the  mouth  of  this  creek,  where  they  become  entangled  with 
the  waters  of  "  Cedar  Bush  Creek,"  and  there  the  two  streams 
noiselessly  empty  their  clear  waters  into  the  beautiful  and 


Rosewell,  Gloucester  County. 

Built  upon  the  lawn  upon  which  Captain  Smith  was  rescued  by  Pocahontas. 


[ndian  Dance. 


THE    PLACE    OF    SMITHS    RESCUE  73 

quiet  York  River,  to  flow  on,  and  on  until  they  reach  the 
broad  Chesapeake  Bay,  called  by  the  Indians  "  Mother  of  the 
Waters/'  distant  some  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles.  Ships  pass 
before  the  eye  on  these  waters  like  phantom  figures  floating 
in  the  air.  They  come  and  go,  and  are  seen,  but  no  echo 
reaches  these  shores  to  disturb  nature's  repose. 

There  is  a  charm  of  quietude  and  rest  pervading  such 
places  which  pen  cannot  describe.  Here  are  the  homes  of  the 
wild  mocking  birds  which,  with  their  delightful  chants,  so 
pleasing  to  the  ear,  will  lull  to  rest  the  weary  when  the  task 
is  done.  The  writer,  during  a  visit  there  in  August,  1906. 
counted  seven  wild  mocking  birds  at  one  place  within  a 
stone's  throw  of  Rosewell  house. 

Eosewell  mansion  is  substantially  built  of  brick,  three  story 
and  basement.  The  foundation  walls  are  three  and  one-half 
feet  thick.  The  reception  hall  is  large,  the  ceilings  lofty, 
and  the  whole  mansion  is  indicative  of  refined  taste  and 
wealth.  From  the  upper  windows,  a  magnificent  view  is  had 
of  the  surrounding  level  lands  and  the  waters  of  the  creeks 
and  the  York  River. 

During  the  life  of  Governor  Page,  Thomas  Jefferson  was 
a  frequent  and  welcome  visitor  there.  While  on  one  of  his 
visits  he  wrote  the  rough  draft  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence in  what  is  now  known  as  the  "Blue  Room,"  situ- 
ated on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  second  story  of  this  house. 

In  a  small  grove  of  trees  within  sight  of  the  mansion  is 
the  family  grave  yard,  containing  several  grave  stones.  Upon 
these  stones  are  chiselled  the  figures  representing  "  Grief," 
"  Immortality,"  "  Eternity,"  "  Resignation,"  etc.  Upon  one 
of  the  stones  is  chiselled  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  Page  farml- 
and the  following  words: 

•'  Here  lyeth  Interred  the  body  of 
Mary  Page  wife  of  Honble  Matthew 
Page  Esq  one  of  her  Majesteyes  Council 
of  this  Collony  of  Virginia  and  Daughter 


74  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

of  John  and  Mary  Man  of  this 
Colony  who  departed  this  life 
ye  24th  day  of  March  in  ye  year 
of  our  Lord  1707  in  ye  Thirty 
sixth  year  of  her  age. 

In  the  many  written  accounts  of  Smith's  rescue,  reference 
is  always  made  to  the  "  two  great  stones  "  on  which  his  body 
was  laid  when  Powhatan  ordered  his  execution.  At  the  foot 
of  the  lawn  of  Eosewell  mansion,  on  its  Western  end  are 
the  "  two  great  stones "  upon  which  tradition  says  Captain 
John  Smith's  body  was  laid  preparatory  to  his  attempted 
execution.  Both  together  would  probably  weigh  nearly  a  ton. 
They  lie  upon  the  creek  shore  a  few  feet  from  the  bank  which 
formerly  extended  into  the  creek,  but  long  since  caved  in 
and  were  washed  away  by  the  waters  of  the  southerly  gust 
tides  which  left  these  stones  to  be  partly  covered  by  the  waters 
at  high  tides.  They  are  the  largest,  and  the  only  large  stones 
known  to  be  in  this  or  the  surrounding  counties  where  clay, 
sand,  gravel,  and  very  small  stones  only  are  found. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  lawn  is  a  pretty  cove  known  as 
"  Eescue  Cove."  It  is  filled  up  so  much  by  the  debris  washed 
during  the  centuries  from  its  surrounding  banks,  that  its 
bed  is  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  waters  of  Carters  Creek,  so 
that  the  tide  does  no  longer  flow,  and  ebb  through  it.  It 
was  doubtless  a  harbor  for  Powhatan's  canoes.  At  the  head 
of  the  cove,  and  upon  a  line  with  the  mansion  is  a  gushing 
spring  of  clear,  pure  water  flowing  down  this  cove  until  it 
empties  into  Carters  Creek,  a  few  hundred  yards  distant.  Its 
flow  is  strong  and  at  the  rate  of  several  hundred  gallons  an 
hour,  indicating  by  its  force  that  its  origin  is  far  distant  in 
the  higher  lands,  amid  the  hills  and  their  hard  rocky  bottoms. 
On  this  lawn  Pocahontas  was  born,  and  it  is  tradition  that 
she  was  named  after  this  spring.  Her  true  name  was  "  Ma- 
toaka  "  or  "  Matoax,"  the  definition  of  which  is  "  Bubbling 
Waters  Between  Two  Hills,"  or  "  Bright  Waters  Between 


THE    PLACE    OF    SMITH'S    RESCUE  75 

Two  Hills."  Pocahontas  was  the  favorite  child  of  Powhatan, 
and  the  Indians  at  first  concealed  from  the  whites  the  real 
name  of  Pocahontas,  fearing  that  if  they  knew  her  true  name 
they  could  do  her  some  harm.1 

Where  the  banks  of  Eosewell  lawn  have  broken  down,  and 
caved  in  by  the  action  of  the  waters  of  the  Creek,  there  is 
exhibited  successive  layers  of  ashes,  charcoal,  oyster,  and  clam 
shells,  alternating  with  slight  layers  of  earth  between.  These 
layers  of  shells  and  debris  are  several  feet  in  depth,  indicating 
that  this  place  was  an  Indian  settlement  during  very  many 
years. 

There  are  about  two  hundred  acres  in  the  Eosewell  estate 
at  present,  though  the  lands  belonging  to  this  original  estate 
extended  to  what  is  now  known  as  the  "  Shelly  "  plantation, 
on  the  east  side  of  Carters  Creek,  distant  in  an  air  line  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile.  At  "  Shelly  "  plantation  are  found 
the  usual  indications  of  an  Indian  settlement — shell  banks. 
This  site  was  probably  occupied  by  the  "  Werowance  "  or  King 
of  the  tribe  inhabiting  that  section  of  Gloucester  County  at 
the  date  of  Smith's  rescue. 

Some  writers  have  asserted  that  "  Shelly  "  was  the  principal 
residence  of  Powhatan  at  the  date  of  Smith's  capture  and 
rescue.  They  base  their  assertions  mainly  upon  the  fact  that 
there  are  larger  Indian  shell  banks  at  "Shelly"  than  at 
"  Eosewell,"  and  that  it  is  within  plain  view  of  the  waters 
of  York  Eiver.  The  arguments  set  forth  by  these  writers 
are  conclusive  evidence  in  favor  of  "  Eosewell "  being  Powha- 


^hey  superstitiously  believed  that  to  tell  or  speak  aloud 
one's  own  name  gave  to  the  enemy,  or  the  evil  spirit,  a  power  over 
the  speaker  which  could  be  used  for  purposes  of  sorcery,  or 
witchcraft.  Such  was  the  reason  that  Pocahontas'  true  name, 
Matoaka,  was  concealed  from  the  whites.  "  To  whom  does  this 
gun  belong,"  was  asked  an  Indian  squaw.  "  It  belongs  to  him," 
she  replied.  "And  who  is  him,"  she  was  asked.  "The  man 
who  sits  there,"  said  she  pointing  to  her  husband,  whose  name 
she  would  not  call  aloud  fearing  some  harm  might  thus  befall 
him. 


7(j  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

tan's  seating  place  instead  of  "  Shelly."  Powhatan  was  the  In- 
dian Emperor  who  ruled  over  more  than  thirty  different  tribes, 
extending  from  the  "  falls  of  the  James  River,"  at  Eichmond 
City,  to  the  "  falls  of  the  Potomac,"  above  Georgetown,  D.  C, 
including  the  greater  part  of  the  Maryland  shores  of  the 
Potomac.  To  maintain  this  control,  he  must  have  been  always 
upon  his  guard  against  enemies  within,  as  well  as  beyond  his 
dominions.  A  man  so  shrewd  as  he,  though  a  savage,  would 
not  select  an  exposed  outpost  for  his  seating,  but  instead 
would  leave  such  a  position  to  one  of  his  subordinates,  a 
Werowance,  King,  of  the  tribe  inhabiting  that  section.  The 
Indians  living  near  the  tidal  waters  always  traveled  in  boats 
when  going  to  war  with  one  another.  To  reach  Powhatan 
at  "  Rosewell,"  the  enemy  would  first  have  to  pass  "  Shelly  " 
through  a  comparatively  narrow  creek,  within  sight  of  the 
occupants  of  "  Shelly,"  and  within  bow  shot  of  their  arrows. 
Powhatan  had  several  places  of  residence  provided  for  him 
throughout  his  dominions.  He  spent  but  a  part  of  the  year 
at  either  of  these  places.  "  Shelly  "  being  permanently  occu- 
pied by  the  Werowance — King — and  his  tribe,  accounts  for 
the  greater  abundance  of  shells  found  there  than  at  "  Rose- 
well,"  which  Powhatan  occupied  only  at  intervals.  It  was 
a  more  secure  spot,  with  an  easier  outlet  to  the  inner  parts 
of  the  main  lands ;  and  the  outlook  from  "  Rosewell "  lawn, 
of  the  waters  leading  from  the  York  River,  is  sufficiently 
plain  to  admit  a  timely  view  of  all  comers  through  these 
waters.  Such  natural  advantages  could  not  be  overlooked 
even  by  a  savage  Indian. 

Captain  John  Smith,  after  his  rescue  and  release  from 
Powhatan,  made  a  bargain  with  this  chief  to  have  log  cabins 
built  for  his  use  at  selected  places,  notably  at  the  place  known 
at  this  day  as  "  Powhatan,"  on  the  James  River  a  couple  of 
miles  below  Richmond  City ;  another  at  Timberneck  Creek,  in 
Gloucester  County,  a  few  miles  east  of  Rosewell  (Werowoco- 
moco).    The  chimney  to  the  cabin  at  Timberneck  Creek  was 


THE   PLACE   OF   SMITHES    RESCUE  77 

built  of  lumps  of  hardened  clay  and  shells  intermixed,  re- 
sembling marl.  This  was  standing  until  the  Charleston 
(S.  C.)  earthquake  in  1898,  at  which  time  it  fell.  Its  ruins 
now  lie  in  heaps  on  the  ground  upon  which  it  formerly  stood. 
The  Dutchmen  sent  by  Smith  to  do  the  work  of  building  the 
cabins  proved  traitors  to  the  colony,  and  entered  into  a  con- 
spiracy to  betray  it  into  the  hands  of  Powhatan.  They  stole 
arms  and  ammunition  from  Jamestown  for  Powhatan's  use. 
Their  purposes  were  frustrated  by  Smith  who  failed  to  punish 
them  fearing  greater  revenge.  They  were  induced  into  this 
conspiracy  upon  viewing  the  power  and  plenty  which  the  great 
chief  possessed  in  comparison  with  the  weakness  and  poverty 
of  the  Jamestown  Colony.  Smith  had  built  for  Opechan- 
canough  a  log  cabin  with  a  door  to  which  was  a  lock  and  key. 
The  lock  interested  this  Indian  so  much  that  he  spent  the 
greater  part  of  a  fortnight  in  locking  and  unlocking  the  door, 
going  inside  and  locking  himself  in,  and  going  outside  and 
locking  himself  out.  Fortunately,  he  did  not  have  any  "  Vir- 
ginia Apple  Jack,"  and  could  therefore  always  find  the  key 
hole. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Virginia  Firmly  Planted. 

In  the  fall  of  1609  Smith  was  wounded  by  the  explosion  of 
a  bag  of  gunpowder,  and  forced  to  return  to  London  for  medi- 
cal treatment.  George  Percy  was  left  in  charge  of  the  colony. 
Smith  left  in  Virginia  three  ships  and  seven  boats,  a  supply 
of  commodities  ready  for  trade  with  the  Indians,  a  goodly 
supply  of  corn  newly  gathered,  provisions  in  store  for  the 
colony,  three  hundred  muskets  with  other  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion, nets  for  fishing,  tools  of  all  sorts  for  work,  apparel  to 
supply  their  wants,  six  mares  and  a  horse,  more  than  five  hun- 
dred hogs,  as  many  hens  and  chickens,  and  some  sheep  and 
goats. 

Percy,  after  Smith's  departure,  was  taken  sick  and  unable 
to  attend  to  his  duties,  and  the  colony  was  in  such  confusion 
that  twenty  or  more  men  attempted  the  duties  of  president. 
The  provisions  were  wasted,  idleness  and  neglect  followed, 
and  so  desperately  poor  and  needy  was  the  condition  of  the 
colony  that  within  six  months  after  Smith's  departure,  of 
the  four  hundred  and  ninety  odd  persons  left  there  by  Smith, 
not  above  sixty  remained  alive  in  May,  1610.  This  period  is 
known  in  the  history  of  the  colony  as  "  The  Starving  Time." 
So  terrible  was  the  time  that  some  even  ate  the  flesh  of  the 
dead. 

On  May  24, 1610  Sir  Thomas  Gates  and  Sir  George  Somera 
reached  the  colony  from  the  West  Indies  where  they  had  been 
forced  in  their  vessels  by  adverse  winds  and  wrecked  while  on 
their  voyage  formerly  to  Virginia.  Seeing  the  deplorable  con- 
dition of  the  colony,  they  consented  to  embark  upon  their 
vessels  all  those  who  survived  the  famine,  and  determining 
to  abandon  the  settlement  and  return  to  England,  they  started 

tte] 


VIRGINIA    FIRMLY    PLANTED  79 

in  their  vessels  down  the  James  River  to  desert  Virginia 
forever.  "When  they  reached  Mulberry  Point,  a  few  miles 
above  Newport  News,  they  spied  the  long  boat  of  Lord  Dela- 
ware's fleet,  and  later  his  three  ships  which  were  loaded  with 
provisions  and  other  necessaries  for  the  colony,  on  June  9, 
1610.  Lord  Delaware  persuaded  the  colonists  to  return  to 
Jamestown,  which  they  did,  and  began  again  their  final  settle- 
ment with  many  prayers  of  thanksgiving  and  much  rejoicing 
for  their  rescue.    Thus  Virginia  was  saved. 

At  the  present  day,  one  would  deem  it  incredible  that  sane 
men  should  starve  to  death  in  a  section  of  Virginia  which  was 
then,  and  is  yet,  so  bountifully  supplied  with  nature's  edible 
products.  In  the  surrounding  woodlands  at  that  date,  there 
was  game  of  many  species  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  and  in 
great  abundance.  A  short  distance  from  Jamestown,  down 
the  James  River,  there  was  excessive  abundance  of  fish,  oys- 
ters,  clams,  crabs,  and  terrapin  in  the  waters  always  within 
reach  of  the  industrious,  intelligent,  and  provident  seeker. 

Their  failure  to  obtain  sustenance  from  these  numerous 
and  ample  stores  of  nature,  is  accounted  for  by  Capt.  John 
Smith  in  his  letter  to  the  Treasurer  and  Council,  in  London, 
in  reply  to  their  threat  to  desert  the  colony  unless  Newport's 
ships  were  returned  loaded  to  pay  the  Company  for  their  ex- 
pense of  the  voyage,  or  unless  important  information  relative 
to  discovery  of  mines,  or  the  discovery  of  a  passage  way  to  the 
South  Sea,  or  some  word  of  knowledge  as  to  the  lost  colonies, 

old  be  sent  to  the  London  Company.  Smith  wrote  the 
Company  to  send  over  emigrants  who  would  be  producers  be- 
fore they  could  export  much  in  return,  and  in  terse  sentences 
informed  thorn  of  the  helpless  condition  of  those  already 
seated  in  the  colony.  Said  he,  "Though  there  be  fish  in  the 
sea,  fowles  in  the  ayre  and  Beasts  in  tlie  "Woods  their  bounds 
are  so  largo,  they  so  wilde  and  we  so  weake  and  ignorant,  we 
cannot  much  trouble  them." 

If  laziness  was  one  of  the  attributes  of  some  of  the  gentle- 


80  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

men  colonists,  as  charged  by  some  writers,  it  should  be  re- 
called that  the  conditions  under  which  the  earl}''  colonists 
were  governed  in  their  labors  were  not  such  as  to  induce  them 
to  be  diligently  industrious.  Under  the  rules  and  regulations 
prescribed  by  the  London  Company,  no  individual  controlled 
the  products  of  his  own  labors.  They  shared  it  as  a  commun- 
ity, in  "Joint  Stock."  The  Cape  Merchant  (Treasurer)  had 
under  his  care  and  control  the  food  and  everything  else  which 
the  whole  colony  produced,  or  which  was  sent  them.  The  in- 
dustrious and  thrifty  shared  no  better  in  the  division  of  the 
commodities  than  the  lazy  and  shiftless.  Under  this  arrange- 
ment, the  colony  worked  during  the  first  five  years. 

"And  wee  doe  hereby  establish  and  ordaine,  that  the  said 
colonies  and  plantations,  and  every  person  and  persons  of 
the  same  severally  and  respectively,  shall  within  every  of  their 
several  precincts,  for  the  space  of  five  years,  next  after  their 
first  landing  upon  the  said  coast  of  Virginia  and  America, 
trade  together  all  in  one  stocJce  or  divideably,  but  in  two  or 
three  stocks  at  the  most,  and  bring  not  only  all  the  fruits  of 
their  labours  there,  but  alsoe  all  such  other  goods  and  com- 
modities which  shall  be  brought  out  of  England,  or  any  other 
place  into  the  same  Colonies,  into  several  magazines  or  store 
houses,  for  that  purpose  to  be  made,  and  erected  there,  and 
that  in  such  order,  manner  and  form,  as  the  council  of  that 
collony,  or  the  more  part  of  them  shall  sett  downe  and  direct." 

A  Cape  Merchant  chosen  annually  by  the  President  and 
Council  was  "  to  take  charge  and  managing  of  all  such  goods, 
wares,  and  commodities,  which  shall  be  brought  into  or  taken 
out  of  the  several  magazines  or  storehouses." 

"  Those  who  paid  their  own  passage  to  Virginia  had  always 
been  as  free  as  men  serving  in  a  joint  stock  are  apt  to  be," 
states  a  writer  of  these  times.  But  those  sent  at  the  expense 
of  the  Company  had  to  work  out  the  debt  by  serving  a  term 
of  years — they  were  known  as  indented  servants.  These 
terms  began  to  expire  after  May,  1614,  and  lands  were  granted 
them. 


VIRGINIA    FIRMLY    PLANTED  81 

In  1619,  every  man  was  free  to  pursue  his  own  individual 
labors,  and  for  this  purpose  certain  portions  of  land  were 
given  to  the  individual  person  for  his  own  use,  though  a  por- 
tion of  his  products  were  to  be  placed  in  the  general  store 
house  for  emergencies.  This  was  the  first  step  towards  indi- 
vidual liberty  and  property  rights  ever  in  America. 

To  avoid  the  burden  of  taxation  for  maintenance  of  officers 
of  the  government,  a  certain  number  of  acres  of  land  were  as- 
signed for  their  benefit  to  be  worked  by  servants  owing  pass- 
age money,  etc. 

It  appears  that  the  colony  was  instructed  by  the  London 
Company  sufficiently  to  meet  any  emergency.  The  former 
expeditions  which  the  English  made,  through  Sir  "Walter 
Raleigh's  aid,  to  the  Xorth  Carolina  coast,  were  misled  by  the 
Indians  into  the  belief  that  there  was  an  open  way  to  the 
Indies  by  water,  and  that  the  country  was  rich  in  minerals. 
Therefore  one  reads  such  instructions  as  the  following: 

"  You  must  observe,  if  you  can,  whether  the  river  on  which 
you  plant  doth  spring  out  of  mountains,  or  out  of  lakes ;  if  it 
be  out  of  any  lake,  the  passage  to  the  other  sea  will  be  more 
easy,  and  is  like  enough  that  out  of  the  same  lake  you  shall 
find  some  spring  which  runs  the  contrary  way  to  the  East 
India  Sea." 

"The  other  forty  men  you  may  employ  for  2  months  in 
discovery  of  the  river  above  you  *  *  when  they  do  espie  any 
high  lands  or  hills  Capt.  Gosnold  may  take  20  of  the  Com- 
pany to  cross  over  the  lands  and  carrying  a  half  dozen  pick- 
axes to  try  if  they  can  find  any  minerals." 

"  The  other  twenty  may  go  on  by  river,  and  pitch  up  boughs 
upon  the  banks  side  by  which  the  other  boats  shall  follow  by 
the  same  turnings." 

"And  when  any  of  you  shoots  before  them  (the  Indians) 
be  sure  that  they  be  chosen  out  of  your  best  marksmen." 

"Above  all  things  do  not  adventure  the  killing  of  any  of 
your  men,  that  the  country  people  (natives)  may  know  it." 
0 


82  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

"  You  should  do  well  also  not  to  let  them  see  or  know  of 
your  sick  men." 

To  follow  the  Colonists  as  they  advanced  beyond  the  narrow 
confines  of  Jamestown  would  make  a  lengthy  but  most  inter- 
esting story.  While  forming  their  new  homes  in  the  wilder- 
ness of  America,  they  were  forced  to  battle  with  the  wily  sav- 
age man,  and  drive  before  them  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forests, 
and  to  fell  the  giant  timber  which  stood  guard  over  the  soil 
that  was  coveted  for  the  harvests  of  corn,  wheat,  tobacco,  and 
other  bounteous  products  that  later  blessed  the  industry  of  the 
intrepid  settler  on  some  lonely  but  lovely  point  of  Tidewater 
Virginia  lands,  overlooking  the  salt  sea  waters  which  bore  him, 
or  his  forefathers  to  this  "fair  land  of  freedom."  Picture 
generations  of  such  men. 

Little  wonder  then  will  be 
That  America  is  free. 

The  seat  of  government  of  the  colony  was  removed  from 
Jamestown  to  Williamsburg  in  1698,  and  retained  there  until 
1779,  eighty-one  years;  making  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
years  in  all  in  which  the  capital  city  of  the  colony  was  situated 
within  "  The  Peninsula  Division  "  of  tidewater. 

Before  the  seat  of  government  was  removed  from  this  penin- 
sula, the  colony  had  reached  the  condition  of  such  great  pros- 
perity that  princely  entertainments,  and  generous  "  Virginia 
hospitality  "  became  synonymous  terms.  Williamsburg  is  in 
James  City  County,  seven  miles  inland  from  James  Eiver,  in 
a  north  easterly  direction  from  Jamestown.  It  is  the  oldest 
incorporated  town  in  Virginia,  and  was  first  settled  as  a  town 
in  1632.    Its  vicinity  was  first  known  as  Middle  Plantation. 

During  the  ninety  odd  years  in  which  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment was  maintained  at  Jamestown,  the  colony  had  largely 
increased  in  population  and  extended  its  settlements  from  the 
Capes  of  the  Chesapeake  to  the  "  falls  of  the  James,"  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  and  into  the  "  Northern  Neck,"  in  all  com- 


VIRGINIA    FIRMLY   PLANTED  83 

prising  twenty-three  organized  counties.  During  these  years, 
the  settlers  had  felled  enough  of  the  forest,  and  cleared  suf- 
ficient lands  to  insure  prosperity  for  the  many. 

During  this  period,  there  came  to  the  Southern  Colonies, 
Maryland,  Virginia,  and  the  Carolinas,  a  class  of  men  called 
"  Cavaliers."  This  appellation  was  given  to  the  partisans  of 
Charles  I  in  his  contest  with  parliament.  The  great  exodus 
of  Cavaliers  to  Virginia  began  in  1649,  after  the  execution  of 
Charles  I.  Then  Governor  Berkeley  sent  a  message  to  Eng- 
land inviting  the  Royalists  to  the  Colony,  and  in  less  than  a 
year  more  than  a  thousand  of  them  reached  Virginia.  They 
were  a  pleasure  loving  set  of  men.  It  is  said  they  had  a  keen 
appreciation  and  liking  for  the  luxuries  and  refined  pleasures 
of  the  Old  World. 

It  is  estimated  that  from  1649  to  1670,  the  population  of 
Virginia  increased  from  15,000  to  40,000  whites. 


CHAPTER  IX 

Old  Williamsburg. 

In  1724,  Reverend  Hugh  Jones,  Chaplain  to  the  Honorable 
Assembly  of  Virginia,  wrote  a  description  of  Williamsburg, 
then  the  largest  and  best  built  town  in  the  colony.  His  narra- 
tive indicates  the  great  prosperity  which  the  colony  then 
enjoyed. 

Said  he:  "When  the  state  house  and  prison  were  burnt 
Gov.  Nicholson  removed  the  residence  of  the  governor,  with 
the  meetings  of  the  general  courts  and  general  assemblies  to 
Middle  Plantation,  7  miles  from  Jamestown,  in  a  healthier 
and  more  convenient  place,  and  freer  from  the  annoyance  of 
mosquities.  Here  he  laid  out  the  city  of  Williamsburg — in 
the  form  of  a  cipher,  made  of  W  and  M — on  a  ridge  at  the 
head  springs  of  two  great  creeks  "  (King  and  Queen). 

"  The  William  and  Mary  College  building  is  beautiful  and 
commodious,  being  first  modelled  by  Sir  Christopher  Wren, 
and  since  it  was  burnt  down  it  has  been  rebuilt  nicely  con- 
trived, altered  and  adorned  by  the  ingenious  direction  of  Gov. 
Spottswood.  The  royal  foundation  was  granted  and  estab- 
lished by  charter  (1693),  by  King  William  and  Queen  Mary, 
and  endowed  by  them  with  some  thousand  (20,000)  acres  of 
land,  with  duties  upon  furs  and  skins,  and  a  penny  a  pound 
for  all  tobacco  transported  from  Virginia  and  Maryland  to  the 
other  plantations ;  to  which  have  been  made  several  other  bene- 
factions: There  were  donations  made  for  the  education  of 
Indians,  and  to  purchase  negroes  for  the  college  use  and 
service." 

He  describes  the  Capitol  Building  as  "a  noble,  beautiful 
and  commodious  pile,  as  any  of  its  kind.  In  it  is  the  Secre- 
tary's office,  with  all  the  courts  of  law  and  justice,  held  in 

[84] 


OLD   WILLIAMSBURG  85 

the  same  form  and  near  the  same  manner,  as  in  England. 
Here  the  governor  and  12  counsellors  sit  as  judges  in  the 
general  courts,  whither  trials  and  causes  are  removed  from 
monthly  county  courts.  Here  are  also  held  the  Oyer  and 
Terminer  Courts/' 

"  Here  are  also  held  Court  martials,  by  judges  appointed  on 
purpose  for  the  trial  of  pirates;  likewise  courts  of  admiralty 
for  the  trial  of  ships  for  illegal  trade." 

"  The  building  is  in  the  form  of  an  H  nearly ;  the  secre- 
tary's office  and  the  general  court  taking  up  one  side  below 
stairs;  the  middle  being  a  handsome  portico  leading  to  the 
clerk  of  the  Assembl3r,  and  the  House  of  Burgesses  on  the 
other  side;  which  last  is  not  unlike  the  House  of  Commons. 
In  each  wing  is  a  good  stair  case,  one  leading  to  the  council 
chamber,  where  the  governor  and  council  sit  in  very  great 
state,  in  imitation  of  the  King  and  council,  or  the  lord  chan- 
cellor and  House  of  Lords.  Over  the  portico  is  a  large  room 
where  conferences  are  held,  and  prayers  are  read  by  the  chap- 
lain to  the  general  assembly ;  which  office  I  have  had  the  honor, 
for  some  years  to  perform.  At  one  end  of  this  is  a  lobby,  and 
near  it  is  the  clerk  of  the  councils  office ;  and  at  the  other  end 
are  several  chambers  for  the  committies  of  claims,  privileges, 
and  elections;  and  over  all  these  are  several  good  offices  for 
the  receiver  general,  for  the  auditor,  and  treasurer,  &c,  and 
upon  the  middle  is  raised  a  lofty  cupola  with  a  large  clock." 

"  The  whole  surrounded  with  a  neat  area  encompassed  with 
a  good  wall,  and  near  it  is  a  strong  sweet  prison  for  criminals ; 
and  on  the  other  side  of  the  open  court  another  for  debtors, 
when  any  are  removed  from  the  other  prisons  in  each  county ; 
but  such  prisoners  are  very  rare;  the  creditors  being  there 
generally  very  merciful,  and  the  laws  so  favorable  for  debtors 
that  some  esteem  them  too  indulgent." 

"  The  cause  of  my  being  so  particular  in  describing  the 
Capitol,  is  because  it  is  the  best  and  most  commodious  pile  of 
its  kind  that  I  have  seen  or  heard  of.    Because  the  State  house, 


86  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

James  Town,  and  the  college  have  been  burnt  down,  therefore 
is  prohibited  in  the  Capitol,  the  use  of  fire,  candies,  and 
tobacco. 

"  Parallel  to  the  main  street  mentioned  is  a  street  on  each 
side  of  it,  but  neither  quite  so  long  nor  so  broad ;  and  at  proper 
distances  are  small  cross  streets,  for  the  convenience  of  com- 
munication. Near  the  middle  stands  the  church,  which  is  a 
strong  piece  of  brick  work  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  nicely  regu- 
lar and  convenient,  and  adorned  as  the  best  churches  in  Lon- 
don. This  from  the  parish  is  called  Bruton  Church,  where 
I  had  the  favor  of  being  lecturer.  Near  this  is  the  large  octa- 
gon tower,  which  is  the  magazine  or  repository  of  arms  and 
ammunition,  standing  far  from  any  house  except  James  Town 
Court  House,  for  the  town  is  half  in  James  Town  county,  and 
half  in  York  county.  Not  far  from  hence  is  a  large  area  for 
a  market  place ;  near  which  is  a  play  house  and  a  good  bowl- 
ing green. 

"  From  the  church  runs  a  street  northward  called  Palace 
street;  at  the  other  end  of  which  stands  the  palace,  or  gover- 
nor's house,  a  magnificent  structure,  built  at  the  public  ex- 
pense, finished  and  beautified  with  gates,  fence,  gardens,  walks, 
a  fine  canal,  orchards,  &c,  with  a  good  number  of  the  best 
arms,  nicely  posited,  by  the  ingenious  contrivance  of  the  most 
accomplished  Col.  Spotswood.  This  likewise  has  the  ornamen- 
tal addition  of  a  good  cupola  or  lantern,  illuminating  most  of 
the  town  upon  birth  nights  and  other  nights  of  occasional  re- 
joicings. These  buildings  here  described  are  justly  reputed  the 
best  in  all  English  America,  and  are  exceeded  by  few  of  their 
kind  in  England." 

"At  the  Capitol,  at  public  times,  may  be  seen  a  great  num- 
ber of  handsome,  well  dressed,  compleat  gentlemen ;  and  at  the 
governors  house  upon  birth  nights,  and  at  balls  and  assemblies, 
I  have  seen  as  fine  an  appearance,  as  good  diversion,  and  as 
splendid  entertainments  in  Gov.  Spotswoods  time,  as  I  have 
seen  anywhere  else. 


OLD   WILLIAMSBURG 


87 


"  Williamsburg  is  now  incorporated  and  made  a  market 
town,  and  governed  by  a  mayor  and  alderman,  and  is  well 
stocked  with  rich  stores  of  all  sorts  of  goods,  and  well  furn- 
ished with  the  best  of  provisions  and  liquors.  Here  dwell  several 
good  families,  and  more  reside  here  at  their  own  houses  in 
public  times.  They  live  in  the  same  neat  manner,  dress  after 
the  same  modes,  and  behave  themselves  exactly  as  the  gentry 
in  London ;  most  families  of  any  note  having  a  coach,  chariot, 
berlin,  or  chaise.  The  number  of  artificers  here  is  daily  aug- 
mented, as  are  the  convenient  ordinaries  or  inns,  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  strangers.  The  servants  here,  as  in  other 
parts  of  the  country, .are  English,  Scotch,  Irish,  or  negroes." 

"  The  town  is  regularly  laid  out  in  lots  or  square  portions, 
sufficient  for  a  house  and  garden,  so  that  they  don't  build 
contiguous,  whereby  may  be  prevented  the  spreading  of  fire ; 
and  this  also  affords  a  free  passage  of  air,  which  is  very  grate- 
ful in  violent  hot  weather.  Here,  as  in  other  parts,  they  build 
with  brick,  but  most  commonly  with  timber  lined  with  ceiling, 
and  cased  with  feather  edged  plank,  painted  with  white  lead 
and  oil,  covered  with  shingles  of  cedar,  &c,  tarred  over  at 
first ;  with  a  passage  generally  through  the  middle  of  the  house, 
for  an  air  draught  in  summer.  Thus  their  houses  are  lasting ; 
dry  and  warm  in  winter,  and  cool  in  summer;  especially  if 
there  be  windows  enough  to  draw  the  air.  Thus  they  dwell 
comfortably,  genteelly,  pleasantly,  and  plentiful  in  this  de- 
lightful, healthful,  and,  I  hope,  thriving  city  of  Williams- 
burg." 

Reverend  Mr.  Jones  continued:  "The  habits,  life,  customs, 
&c,  of  the  Virginians  are  much  the  same  as  about  London. 
The  Planters  and  even  the  negroes,  generally  talk  good  Eng- 
lish, without  idiom  or  tone,  and  can  discourse  handsomely  on 
most  common  subjects.  They  are  much  civilized  and  wear 
the  best  cloaths,  according  to  their  stations;  nay,  sometimes 
too  good  for  their  circumstances,  being  for  the  generality 
comely,  handsome  persons,  of  good  features,  and  fine  com- 


88  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

plexions — if  they  take  care — of  good  manners  and  address. 
The  climate  makes  them  bright,  and  of  excellent  sense,  and 
sharp  in  trade;  an  idiot  or  deformed  native  being  almost  a 
miracle.  They  are  more  inclinable  to  read  men  by  business 
and  conversation  than  to  dive  into  books,  and  are  for  the 
most  part,  only  desirous  of  learning  what  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary, in  the  shortest  and  best  method.  As  for  education,  sev- 
eral are  sent  to  England  for  it,  though  the  Virginians,  being 
naturally  of  good  j)arts,  as  I  have  already  hinted,  neither  re- 
quire as  much  learning  as  we  do." 

"  The  common  planters  leading  easy  lives,  don't  much  ad- 
mire manly  exercise,  except  horse  racing;  nor  diversion,  ex- 
cept cock  fighting,  in  which  some  greatly  delight.  This  easy 
way  of  living,  and  the  heat  of  the  summer,  makes  some  very 
lazy,  who  are  then  said  to  be  climate  struck.  The  saddle  horses, 
though  not  very  large,  are  handy,  strong,  and  fleet,  and  will 
pace  naturally  and  pleasantly  at  a  prodigious  rate.  They  are 
such  lovers  of  riding  that  almost  every  ordinary  person  keeps 
a  horse ;  and  I  have  known  some  to  spend  the  morning  in  rang- 
ing several  miles  in  the  woods  to  find  and  catch  their  horses, 
only  to  ride  2  or  3  miles  to  church,  to  the  Court  house,  or 
to  a  horse  race,  where  they  generally  appoint  to  meet  upon 
business,  and  are  more  certain  of  finding  those  that  they  want 
to  speak  or  deal  with  them  than  at  their  home." 

"No  people  entertain  their  friends  with  better  cheer  and 
welcome,  and  strangers  and  travellers  are  here  treated  in  the 
most  free,  plentiful  and  hospitable  manner,  so  that  a  few  inns 
or  ordinaries  on  the  road  are  sufficient." 

Mr.  Jones  concluded :  "  If  New  England  be  called  a  re- 
ceptacle of  Dissenters  and  an  Amsterdam  of  religion,  Pennsyl- 
vania a  nursery  of  Quakers,  Maryland  the  retirement  of  Ro- 
man Catholics,  North  Carolina  the  refuge  of  runaways,  and 
South  Carolina  the  delight  of  Buccaneers  and  Py rates,  Vir- 
ginia may  be  justly  esteemed  the  happy  home  of  the  true 
Briton,  and  true  Churchman  for  the  most  part,  neither  soaring 
too  high,  nor  dropping  too  low." 


OLD    WILLIAMSBURG  89 

The  first  printing  press  erected  in  Virginia  was  in  1692, 
at  Williamsburg,  and  the  first  Newspaper  published  in  Vir- 
ginia was  the  "  Virginia  Gazette/'  the  first  edition  of  which 
was  issued  at  "Williamsburg,  August  6,  IT 36.  It  was  a  sheet 
12  inches  by  6  inches,  printed  by  Wm.  Parks,  price  15  shill- 
ings per  annum.  In  1671,  Sir  Wm.  Berkeley  had  thanked 
God  there  were  no  free  schools  nor  printing  presses  in  Virginia 
and  hoped  there  would  be  none  for  hundreds  of  years  to  come. 
The  printing  press  came  in  twenty-one  years,  and  there  were 
schools  also. 

The  first  capitol  building  erected  in  "Williamsburg  was 
burned  in  1746.  The  second  one  erected  was  burned  in  1832. 
It  was  in  this  latter  building  that  Patrick  Henry  made  his 
first  speech,  in  the  House  of  Burgesses. 

Wirt  relates  an  incident  that  occurred  in  this  building 
when  Washington  was  complimented  for  his  gallantry  by  the 
speaker  of  the  House  of  Burgesses :  "After  his  glorious  career 
in  the  French,  and  Indian  Wars  (he)  was  complimented  by 
the  Speaker,  Mr.  Robinson,  for  his  gallantry;  but  in  such 
glowing  terms,  that  when  he  arose  to  express  his  acknowledge- 
ments for  the  honor,  he  blushed,  and  stammered,  and  trembled, 
unable  to  give  distinct  utterances  to  a  single  syllable;  when 
the  Speaker  observing  his  trepidation  relieved  him  by  a  mas- 
terly stroke  of  address,  saying  with  a  conciliating  smile,  '  Sit 
down,  Mr.  Washington;  your  modesty  is  equal  to  your  valor, 
and  that  surpasses  the  power  of  any  language  tb at  I  possess.'" 


CHAPTEE  X 

^ 

Marrying  in  Old  Virginia. 

The  first  permanent  settlement  in  Virginia  was  begun  as 
a  bachelor  kingdom,  without  the  sound  of  the  gentle  voice  of 
woman,  and  the  cooing  notes  of  infants. 

The  conditions  under  which  the  colonists  began  to  found 
a  settlement  in  the  new  world  precluded  the  introduction  of 
womankind  in  the  enterprise.  And  these  conditions  did  not 
change  until  the  date  when  lands  were  granted  the  colonist 
to  cultivate,  and  to  build  upon,  and  to  claim  as  his  own  indi- 
vidual property.  Then  it  was  that  the  bachelor  housekeeper, 
when  seated  by  his  lonely  fireside,  discovered  the  need  of  a 
helpmeet  to  complete  his  happiness,  and  to  render  him  content. 
He  discovered  that  man's  earthly  paradise  is  only  where 
woman  dwells. 

The  first  white  women  to  reach  the  colony  were  Mrs.  Thos. 
Forrest  and  her  maid,  Anne  Burrus.  They  came  in  1608, 
and  shortly  thereafter  Anne  Burrus  was  married  to  Thos. 
Layton,  who  came  to  Arirginia  in  1607.  In  1609,  their  first 
child,  named  Virginia  Layton,  was  born  and  baptized  at 
Jamestown.  Three  other  daughters — Alice,  Katherine,  and 
Mary — were  born  to  this  couple. 

In  1632,  the  colony  made  a  gift  of  five  hundred  acres  of 
land  to  John  Layton,  situated  in  Elizabeth  City  County,  in 
recognition  officially  of  the  birth  of  the  first  white  child  upon 
Virginia's  soil. 

The  first  marriage  between  the  English  and  the  Indian 
races  was  that  of  John  Eolfe  and  Pocahontas  at  Jamestown 
in  1614. 

Governor  Yeardley  soon  after  reaching  Virginia,  in  1619, 
proposed  to  the  London  Company  to  send  one  hundred  boys 

[90] 


MAEfiYIXG   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA  91 

and  girls  as  servants  and  apprentices;  he  also  advised  that 
one  hundred  young  maids  he  sent  as  wives  for  the  inhabitants ; 
"that  wives,  children  and  families  might  render  them  less 
moveable,  and  fix  and  settle  them  together  with  their  posterity 
in  the  soil."  He  recommended  that  such  of  these  maids  as 
were  married  to  the  public  farmers  should  be  transported  at 
the  Company's  expense;  but  if  any  were  married  to  others, 
that  those  who  took  them  to  wife  should  repay  the  Company 
their  charges  of  transportation.  In  consequence  of  this  propo- 
sition, ninety  maids  were  sent  the  following  spring. 

In  1621,  sixty  young  and  handsome  maids  were  sent  to  Vir- 
ginia. Recommendations  and  testimonials  of  their  behavior 
accompanied  each  one  so  that  the  purchaser  might  be  enabled 
to  judge  how  to  choose  a  wife.  Boys  were  sent  to  be  appren- 
tices to  those  who  married  these  maids. 

It  was  stipulated  that  these  maids  should  be  married  with 
their  own  consent  to  such  freemen  only  as  could  support  them 
handsomely.  It  was  also  stipulated  that  they  were  to  be  well 
used,  and  their  marriage  to  servants  was  forbidden. 

The  Company  granted  the  adventurers  who  subscribed  to  the 
cost  of  shipping  the  maids  and  boys,  a  ratable  proportion  of 
land,  according  to  the  number  of  maids  sent.  The  lands  were 
to  be  laid  off  together,  and  formed  into  a  town,  to  be  called 
Maidstown. 

The  price  of  wives  was  fixed  at  one  hundred  pounds  of 
tobacco,  and  afterwards  advanced  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds,  and  proportionately  more  if  any  of  them  should  hap- 
pen to  die  on  the  passage  to  Virginia.  A  debt  for  a  wife  was 
of  higher  dignity  than  that  of  other  debts,  and  to  be  paid  first. 
As  an  inducement  to  marriage,  married  men  were  preferred 
in  the  selection  of  officers  for  the  colony.  Contentment  fol- 
lowed this  introduction  of  wives  to  Virginia,  and  soon  there- 
after whole  families,  including  wives,  daughters,  and  sons 
came,  and  the  necessity  of  shipping  maids  no  longer  existed, 
and  +be  seeker  for  a  wife  no  longer  lugged  his  tobacco  crop 


92  LIFE  IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

to  the  matrimonial  market,  but  instead  resorted  to  the  custom 
of  his  forefathers,  and  planned  a  seige  of  old  fashioned  court- 
ship to  win  his  bride. 

In  old  Virginia  men  and  women  married  early  in  life.  To 
the  young  man  befell  the  task  of  the  first  introduction — get- 
ting acquainted.  To  the  observer  the  trials  of  the  young  man 
in  his  courtship  are  always  amusing,  but  in  early  days  they 
attracted  even  more  attention  than  to-day.  Custom  upon  the 
part  of  man,  and  modesty  upon  the  part  of  woman  have  settled 
upon  man  the  duty  of  making  the  first  overtures  towards  a 
courtship.  The  man  must  make  the  first  formal  call  upon  his 
intended  bride,  and  to  a  young  man  it  is  a  perplexing  problem 
how  to  frame  an  excuse  for  making  this  first  visit.  During 
the  time  spent  in  solving  this  problem,  he  devotes  many  hours 
to  the  combing  of  his  hair  and  to  the  neat  arrangement  of 
his  garments,  and  the  family  looking  glass  is  in  great  demand. 
He  reaches  the  "moping  stage,"  and  becomes  serious  and 
thoughtful,  and  has  "  doubtful  spells  "  like  unto  the  sinner 
who  is  debating  within  himself,  during  a  "  powerful  religious 
revival,"  whether  he  shall  go  to  the  "mourners'  bench,"  or 
hang  back  among  the  sinners  and  lose  salvation. 

Love  finally  surmounts  all  obstacles,  and  the  young  man 
after  making  a  few  calls,  settles  down  to  courtship  in  earnest.1 

iThe  following  lines,  though  ludicrous,  contain  much  truth: 

HIM. 

"  He  dressed  himself  from  top  to  toe. 

He  beat  the  latest  fashion. 
He  gave  his  boots  an  extra  glow, 
His  tat  it  glistened  like  the  snow. 
He  sleeked  his  hair  exactly  so. 

And  all  to  indicate  'his  passion.' 
He  tried  his  whole  three  ties  before 
Ha  kept  the  one  that  he  wore. 


MARRYING  IN   OLD  VIRGINIA  93 

Primitive  man  captured  his  bride  and  took  her  by  force 
instead  of  persuasion.  His  "  best  man  "  then  was  the  friend 
who  aided  him  in  the  capture.  The  "  honeymoon  "  was  the 
hasty  flight  of  the  man  and  his  captured  bride.  In  Ireland, 
"  match  makers  "  aided  in  forming  matrimonial  engagements, 
and  in  Virginia  the  old  negro  mammy  house  servant  was  often 
great  aid  to  the  young  master  or  mistress  during  courtship. 

In  the  years  after  the  colony  became  prosperous,  a  wedding 

HEB. 

"All  afternoon  she  laid  abed 

To   make   her   features    brighter. 
She' tried  on  every  gown  she  had, 
And  rasped  her  nails  until  they  bled, 
A  dozen  times  she  fuzzed  her  head, 

And  put  on  stuff  to  make  her  whiter, 
And  fussed  till  she'd  a  cried,  she  said, 
But  that  would  make  her  eyes  so  red. 

THE   TWO. 

"  They  sat  together  in  the  dark 
Without  a  light,  except  their  spark, 
And  neither  could  have  told  or  guessed 
What  way  the  t'other  one  was  dressed." 

The  following  story  illustrates  how  easily  a  man  is  perturbed 
in  his  courtship: 

There  was  an  old  sailor  captain  in  one  of  the  Northern  Neck 
counties  who  was  addicted  to  the  habit  of  talking  in  his  sleep. 
He  had  a  pretty  daughter  who  was  courted  by  a  timid  young 
man.  One  moonlight  night  while  the  young  couple  were  seated 
together  in  the  parlor,  and  the  young  man  was  making  progress 
towards  "  popping  the  question  "  which  was  to  settle  his  matri- 
monial fate,  there  suddenly  rang  out  in  loud,  gruff  tones  from 
the  adjoining  room: 

"  You  cussed  land  lubber,  don't  snub  her  so  hard." 

The  young  man  jumped  up,  grabbed  his  hat,  and  was  upon 
the  point  of  running  out  of  the  door  when  the  daughter  explained 
to  him  that  her  father  was  only  dreaming  he  was  getting  his 
vessel  fastened  to  a  wharf. 


94  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

was  a  great  social  affair,  whether  celebrated  in  the  "  Great 
House  "  of  the  rich,  on  a  big  plantation  by  the  river  side,  or  in 
a  log  cabin  in  the  "  Forest." % 

The  weddings  of  the  wealthy  were  occasions  of  stately  eti- 
quette, and  much  formal  ceremony.  Many  of  the  middle 
classes  were  scholarly  and  refined  in  their  manners,  and  their 
marriages  were  equally  ceremonious  with  those  of  their  more 
wealthy  neighbors.  The  marriages  in  the  "  Forest "  were 
celebrated  with  less  formality,  and  greater  liberties  for  fun 
making  were  allowable. 

After  the  marriage  ceremony  and  the  wedding  dinner,  danc- 
ing followed.  The  figures  of  the  dances  in  the  Forest  were 
three  or  four  handed  reels,  or  square  sets  and  jigs.  The  com- 
mencement was  always  a  square  four,  which  was  followed  by 
what  was  called  "jigging  it  off;"  that  is,  two  or  four  would 
single  out  for  a  jig  and  were  followed  by  the  remaining 
couple.  The  jigs  were  often  accompanied  with  what  was 
called  "  cutting  out ; "  that  is,  when  either  of  the  parties  be- 
came tired  of  the  dance,  on  intimation  the  place  was  supplied 
by  some  one  of  the  company  without  any  interruption  of  the 
dance.  In  this  way  a  dance  was  often  continued  so  long  as 
the  fiddlers  could  play.2 

iThe  selection  of  the  day  for  marriage  was  regarded  as  of 
some  importance,  preference  being  given  to  Wednesday. 

Monday  for  wealth, 
Tuesday  for  health, 
Wednesday    the    best    day   of    all; 
Thursday   for   crosses, 
Friday  for  losses, 
Saturday  no  luck  at  all. 

2  "  The  fiddler  tunes  the  strings  with  pick  of  thumb  and  scrape 
of  bow; 
Finds  one  string  keyed  a  note  too  high,  another  keyed  too  low, 
Then  rosins  up  the  light-drawn  hairs,,  the  young  folks  in  a  fret 
Until  their  ears  are  greeted  with  the  warning  words:  *A11  set.' 
When  he  hugs  his  fiddle  to  his  cheek  and  scrapes  the  bow  along, 


MARRYING   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA  95 

Among  the  old  time  tunes  are  "  Money  Musk,"  "  I  had  a 
Dog  and  His  Name  Was  Rover,  When  He  Had  Fleas  He  Had 
'Em  All  Over,"  "  Leather  Breeches,"  "  Won't  You  Come  Out 
To-night,"  "The  Devil's  Dream,"  "Hop  Light  Ladies," 
"  Mississippi  Sawyer,"  "  Old  Zip  Coon,"  "Arkansas  Traveler," 
"  Clear  the  Track,"  "  Billie  In  The  Low  Ground,"  "  Virginia 
Reel,"  "  Irish  Washwoman,"  "  Come  Haste  To  The  Wedding." 
Any  of  these  tunes  when  played  by  an  old  time  Tidewater 
Virginia  fiddler  would  cure  a  case  of  chronic  rheumatism—* 
at  least  for  the  time  being. 

A  marriage  and  dance  in  the  Forest  were  sure  to  bring  a 
large  attendance,  and  if  seats  were  scarce,  which  was  often 
the  case,  every  young  man,  when  not  engaged  in  the  dance, 
was  obliged  to  offer  his  lap  as  a  seat  for  one  of  the  girls ;  and 
the  offer  was  sure  to  be  accepted. 

In  singing  tones  he  gives  the  word  and  tells  them:  '  Go  it  strong.' 

S'lute  yo'r  pardners!     Let  her  go! 

Balance  all  an'  do-se-do! 

Swing  yo'r  gals  an'  run  away! 

Right  and  left  and  gents  sashay! 

Gents  to  right  an'  swing  or  cheat! 

On  to  next  gal  an'  repeat! 

Balance  next  an'  don't  be  shy! 

Swing  yo'r  pard'  an'  swing  her  high! 

Bunch  the  gals  an'  circle  'round! 

Whack  yo'r  feet  ontil  they  bound! 

Form  a  basket!     Break  away! 

Swing  an'  kiss  an'  all  git  gay! 

All  men  left  an'  balance  all! 

Lift  yo'r  feet  an'  let  'em  fall! 

Swing  yo'r  o'p'sites!     Swing  agin! 

Kiss  the  same  gals  if  yo  kin! 

Back  to  pardners,  do-se-do! 

All  jine  hands  an'  off  yo'  go! 

Gents  salute  yo'r  little  sweets! 

Hitch  an'  promenade  to  seats. 
And  thus  the  merry  dance  goes  on  till  morning's  struggling  light 
In    lengthening   streaks  of  gray   breaks   down   the   barriers   of 
night." 


\J6  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

After  the  wedding,  if  not  sooner,  a  house  was  built  for  the 
newly  married  couple,  upon  the  lands  of  the  bride's,  or  the 
bridegroom's  parents,  and  when  it  was  ready  for  occupancy, 
the  friends  and  neighbors  who  assisted  in  the  building  were 
invited  to  the  "  house  warming,"  which  consisted  of  a  dinner 
and  dancing. 

In  days  of  slavery,  the  negro  did  not  bother  himself  about 
a  marriage  license.  He  received  the  consent  of  his  master  to 
take  a  wife.  In  case  of  disagreement  with  his  chosen  spouse, 
he  did  not  apply  to  divorce  courts,  but  he  simply  said  "  Good- 
bye Liza  Jane,"  and  if  his  master  was  willing  left  his  wife 
for  good  and  all.  The  newspapers  did  not  record  the  event; 
consequently,  there  were  not  so  many  public  scandals  as  among 
the  whites  in  many  of  the  states  at  the  present  day. 

The  favorite  house  servants  were  frequent  exceptions  to 
these  customs.  These  chosen  favorites  were  married  in  the 
master's  home  with  all  the  formality  and  pomp  which  their 
master  and  mistress  delighted  to  extend.  Such  servants  were 
well  instructed  beforehand  in  their  several  parts,  and  the 
ceremonies  were  therefore  entirely  devoid  of  absurdities,  and 
as  solemn  and  imposing  as  were  the  same  rites  when  partaken 
by  the  whites.  The  young  white  members  of  the  family  took 
great  delight  in  contributing  their  quota  of  instructions,  and 
added  such  articles  of  apparel  to  the  wardrobes  of  the  bride 
and  groom,  as  were  necessary  to  "  sot  'em  off  "  in  good  style. 

There  was  a  certain  social  distinction  between  the  "  house 
servants,"  and  the  "  cornfield  niggers,"  as  those  who  worked 
in  the  field  on  large  plantations  were  styled  among  their 
own  race.  The  manners  of  these  two  classes  were  very 
marked.  The  house  servants  generally  partook  more  or  less 
of  the  dignified  manners  of  the  white  household,  and  in  public 
places  seldom  engaged  in  boisterous  and  rough  amusements 
so  common  with  the  "cornfield  niggers,"  such  as  wrestling, 
kicking,  loud  singing,  and  jig  dancing. 


CHAPTEE  XI 
The  Growth  of  Virginia  in  Colonial  Days 


The  story  of  the  settlement  of  Jamestown  in  1607  and  of 
its  suffering  for  three  years  until  Lord  Delaware  came  to  the 
colony  as  Governor-General,  appointed  by  the  London  Com- 
pany has  already  been  told.  For  the  next  nine  years  the 
colony  grew  gradually  under  Sir  Thomas  Dale  and  Sir  George 
Yeardley  and  other  governors. 

The  year  1619  was  the  turning  point  in  the  history  of 
Virginia.  It  marked  the  introduction  of  African  slavery; 
the  establishment  of  the  first  Legislative  Assembly  and  of 
permanent  home  building  by  the  importation  of  maidens  to 
become  the  wives  of  the  settlers.  Its  growth  was  now  accen- 
tuated by  the  cultivation  of  tobacco  for  exportation  the  first 
tobacco  having  been  shipped  to  England  by  John  Rolfe  in 
1614.  This  one  article  of  commerce  was  the  means  of  bring- 
ing numbers  of  settlers  to  the  colony.  The  rapid  growth  of 
the  colony  was  checked  by  the  Indian  massacre  of  1622,  but 
under  the  wise  hand  of  Sir  George  Yeardley,  the  Indians 
were  driven  into  the  interior,  and  soon  the  colony  was  again 
flourishing. 

For  the  next  eighteen  years — from  1622  to  1640,  Virginia 
had  quite  a  number  of  governors;  some  of  more  or  less  merit, 
but  among  them  of  especial  note  was  Dr.  John  Pott,  supposed 
to  have  been  a  doctor  of  medicine,  though  others  said  that  he 
was  a  doctor  of  letters,  who,  after  his  career  as  governor  was 
convicted  of  cattle-stealing.  He  was  succeeded  by  Sir  John 
Harvey,  who  was  the  first  governor  to  be  deposed  by  the  peo- 
ple of  Virginia.  The  people  regarded  his  administration  as 
too  harsh,  and  the  Council  met  and  removed  him  from  office. 
This  was  just  ten  years  after  .In mis  I  had  issued  his  Quo 

7  [  07  ] 


98  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Warranto  proceedings,  by  which  the  charter  of  the  London 
Company  had  been  repealed,  and  Virginia  had  become  a  Royal 
Province.  Hence  the  tendency  of  the  Virginians  to  resist  the 
royal  representative  was  interpreted  as  an  act  against  the  king 
himself,  so  the  then  monarch,  Charles  I,  very  promptly  re- 
proved his  subjects  in  Virginia,  and  re-instated  Harvey  as 
Governor.  Finally,  however,  the  king  yielded,  and  removed 
Harvey  and  the  trouble  was  at  an  end. 

A  few  years  later  there  came  to  Virginia  a  character  des- 
tined to  figure  prominently  in  its  history — no  less  a  person 
than  Sir  William  Berkeley,  a  gentleman  of  culture  and  scholar- 
ship; a  play-wright  and  courtier;  every  inch  a  ruler,  with 
many  of  the  qualities  essential  to  the  make-up  of  a  tyrant. 
Berkeley  came  at  the  time  that  England  was  about  to  engage 
in  a  civil  war.  It  was  the  period  when  Parliament  was  mak- 
ing demands  of  the  king  on  questions  of  taxation;  demands 
which  the  king  was  slow  to  satisfy.  The  Civil  War  came  on 
and  the  king's  party  was  defeated,  which  resulted  in  a  number 
of  persons  fleeing  to  Virginia  so  that  the  period  from  1640 
to  1650  marked  rapid  growth  in  the  colony  and  by  the  time 
that  Oliver  Cromwell  became  Lord  Protector,  there  were  some 
fifteen  thousand  people  firmly  planted  on  Virginia  soil. 
After  the  establishment  of  the  English  Commonwealth  a  com- 
mission of  three,  containing  two  Virginians — Richard  Ben- 
nett and  William  Claiborne — were  appointed  to  demand  the 
surrender  of  the  Virginia  colony  to  the  Lord  Protector.  In 
1652  they  reached  Jamestown,  where  Berkeley  was  in  com- 
mand. It  seems  that  Berkeley  wished  to  give  battle  to  the 
commissioners  of  Cromwell,  but  that  the  Assembly  which  was 
then  in  session  was  opposed  to  such  action,  so  that  the  final 
result  was  that  an  agreement  was  reached  between  the  com- 
missioners representing  the  Protector  and  the  Assembly  of 
Virginia,  by  which  the  Lord  Protector  and  the  Common- 
wealth of  England  were  duly  recognized,  with  the  under- 
standing that  Virginia  should  enjoy  free  trade  and  that  no 


GROWTH    01'   VIRGINIA   IN    COLONIAL  DAYS  99 

impositions  of  taxes  were  to  be  permitted  within  the  colony, 
save  by  the  consent  of  the  Assembly.  This  was  a  wonderful 
concession  for  so  weak  a  colony  to  secure  from  the  Mother 
Country  at  that  day  and  time. 

Berkeley  quietly  retired  from  the  governor-ship  to  Green 
Spring,  his  plantation  some  six  miles  from  Jamestown,  and 
and  the  Assembly  immediately  elected  Richard  Bennett,  the 
Puritan,  as  Governor  of  Virginia.  For  seven  years  the  colony 
was  ruled  by  the  Assembly  and  governors  chosen  by  it,  after 
which,  on  the  restoration  of  Charles  II  to  the  throne  of 
England.  Sir  William  Berkeley  resumed  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment, and  Virginia  again  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  king. 
It  now  numbered  some  twentv  odd  thousand  inhabitants. 

From  1660  to  1676,  Berkeley  was  the  autocrat  of  Virginia. 
It  was  a  period  of  rapid  growth  in  population  and  in  indus- 
tries. Virginia  soon  had  twenty  counties,  none  of  which 
were  settled  beyond  the  Tidewater  region.  The  population 
by  1670  was  forty  thousand,  of  whom  some  two  thousand  were 
slaves  and  six  thousand  white  indented  servants.  There 
were  forty-eight  parishes  supplied  with  ministers  of  more  or 
less  learning.  The  Indians  had  gradually  been  driven  back 
beyond  the  head  of  Tidewater,  but  they  were  giving  trouble 
to  the  whites  by  harrassing  the  settlers  on  the  frontier.  The 
conflict  between  the  Indians  and  the  whites  brought  on  Bacon's 
Rebellion,  when  young  Nathaniel  Bacon  demanded  of  Berkeley 
a  commission  to  go  against  the  Indians  and  to  exterminate 
them,  or  to  drive  them  from  the  frontiers.  Berkeley  refused 
to  grant  the  commission,  for  fear  that  the  Virginians  in  arms 
would  turn  against  him  and  his  government,  for  he  had  for- 
gotten that  the  people  had  any  rights,  and  had  kept  the  same 
Assembly  in  power  for  fifteen  years ;  was  enforcing  obnoxious 
taxes,  and  in  many  ways  proving  himself  a  tyrant.  He  was 
finally  forced  to  yield,  and  he  granted  Bacon  his  commission 
and  called  another  Assemby,  but  the  result  of  it  all  was  a  dis- 
pute between  Berkeley  and  Bacon  which  resulted  ic  Bacon's  ar- 


100  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

rest,  then  his  release  and  finally  his  flight  from  Jamestown  and 
the  raising  of  a  force  which  marched  against  Berkeley.  No  seri- 
ous battles  ensued,  but  Jamestown  was  taken  and  burned,  after 
which  Bacon  proceeded  to  Gloucester  County,  where  he  was 
taken  sick  with  a  fever  and  died.  Berkeley  then  regained  con- 
trol of  the  government,  and  put  to  death  twenty-three  of 
Bacon's  followers.  Charles  II  was  so  disappointed  with  Berke- 
ley that  he  finally  removed  him  in  1677.  We  are  told  that 
the  old  Governor,  on  his  return  to  England,  died  of  a  broken 
heart. 

For  the  next  thirty-five  years  the  growth  of  the  colony  was 
steady  from  the  head  of  Tidewater  to  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains. In  this  period  the  College  of  William  and  Mary  was 
chartered  in  1693  by  William  and  Mary,  the  Sovereigns  of 
England.  This  college  soon  came  to  be  the  institution  from 
which  many  of  the  sons  of  prominent  Virginia  planters  were 
soon  to  be  graduated  though  numbers  of  them  also  went  to 
England. 

In  1710  came  Spotswood  as  governor.  At  once  he  revived 
the  iron  industry  of  Virginia  which  had  been  first  begun 
some  ninety  years  before.  He  established  an  iron  furnace  at 
Germanna,  not  far  from  the  present  city  of  Fredericksburg. 
Soon  after  that  he  began  his  famous  expedition  across  the 
mountains.  With  some  members  of  his  staff  he  left  Williams- 
burg and  drove  in  his  coach  to  Germanna.  Here  he  left  his 
coach  and  with  other  gentlemen  who  joined  him,  proceeded 
on  horse  along  the  Bappahannock  Biver,  and  in  thirty-six  days 
from  the  time  he  left  Williamsburg,  he  scaled  the  mountains 
near  Swift  Eun  Gap.  The  company  descended  the  moun- 
tains on  the  west  side  and  reached  the  Shenandoah  Biver. 
Proceeding  by  the  river,  they  found  a  place  where  it  was  ford- 
able,  crossed  it,  and  there  on  the  western  bank,  the  governor 
formally  took  possession  for  King  George  I.  of  England. 
After  eight  weeks,  he  returned  to  Williamsburg,  having  trav- 
eled in  all  four  hundred  and  forty  miles. 


GROWTH   OF   VIRGINIA   IN   COLONIAL  DAYS  101 

It  is  hard  for  us  to  believe  that  less  than  two  hundred  years 
ago,  when  Spotswood  entered  the  beautiful  Valley  of  Vir- 
ginia, it  was  the  haunt  of  bears,  wolves,  panthers,  wild  cats 
and  buffaloes.     The  Indians  did  not  live  there,  but  preserved 
it  for  their  hunting  grounds.    Those  who  accompanied  Spots- 
wood  on  the  famous  expedition  have  been  known  in  history 
as  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Horseshoe.     At  that  time  in 
eastern  Virginia,  on  account  of  the  sandy  soil,  few  horseshoes 
were  used;  but,  when  Spotswood  and  his  expedition  set  out 
from  Fredericksburg  over  the  rocky,  untraveled  wilderness, 
it  was  found  necessary  that  the  horses  should  be  shod.    Upon 
the  return  from- his  journey,  the  governor  presented  "each 
of  his  companions  with  a  golden  horseshoe,    .    .    .  covered 
with  valuable  stones  resembling  heads  of  nails  with  the  in- 
scription on  one  side,  'Sic  juvat  transcendere  montes/ }      The 
climbing  of  the  mountains  was  regarded  in  those  days  as  a 
dangerous   and  wonderful  undertaking,  and   it  was  noised 
abroad  throughout  the  colony. 

In  this  expedition  was  an  ensign  in  the  British  army,  John 
Fontaine,  who  wrote  an  account  of  the  trip.  After  telling  of 
crossing  the  Shenandoah  River,  he  said,  "It  is  very  deep.  The 
main  course  of  the  water  is  north.  It  is  four  score  yards 
wide  in  the  narrowest  part.  We  drank  some  health  on  the 
other  side  and  returned,  after  which  I  went  a  swimming  in 
it.  ...  I  got  some  grasshoppers  and  fish,  and  another  and 
I,  we  catched  a  dish  of  fish,  some  perch,  and  a  kind  of  fish 
they  call  chub.  The  others  went  a  hunting  and  killed  deer 
and  turkeys.  ...  I  graved  my  name  on  a  tree  by  the  river 
side,  and  the  governor  buried  a  bottle  with  a  paper  enclosed 
on  which  he  writ  that  he  took  possession  of  this  place  in  the 
name  and  for  King  George  T.  of  England." 

In  1722  Spotswood  retired  from  the  governorship,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Drysdale,  who  later  turned  over  the  reins  of 
governor  to  William  Gooch,  who  was  governor  for  thirteen 
years.     During  Gooch's  administration,  settlers  came  into  the 


102  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Valley  of  Virginia,  and  the  northern  Shenandoah  Valley  be- 
came a  section  of  thrift  and  industry.  Into  it  came  Scotch, 
Irish  and  Germans.  These  people  were  granted  religious  tole- 
ration, and  after  a  few  years  they  pushed  southward,  even  to 
the  boundaries  of  North  Carolina.  Prominent  among  the  set- 
tlers of  the  Valley  was  the  Lewis  family,  composed  of  the 
sons  of  John  Lewis — Thomas,  William,  Charles  and  Andrew. 
Charles  Lewis  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasants,  in 
1774.  Thomas  Lewis  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  House 
of  Burgesses  in  1765,  and  voted  for  Henry's  famous  Stamp 
Act  Resolution.  His  home  was  in  that  part  of  Augusta 
which  was  made  into  Rockingham  County  in  1778.  William 
Lewis  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  at  the  time 
Tarleton  raided  Charlottesville.  On  account  of  sickness,  he 
was  unable  to  go  to  the  defence  of  his  state,  and  the  story  is 
told  that  his  wife  prepared  her  three  sons,  of  the  ages  thir- 
teen, fifteen  and  seventeen  to  go  in  his  stead,  saying  to  them : 
"Go,  my  children,  keep  back  the  foot  of  the  invader  from  the 
soil  of  Augusta  or  see  my  face  no  more."  When  this  story 
was  reported  to  Washington,  he  said,  "Leave  me  but  a  banner 
to  plant  upon  the  mountains  of  Augusta,  and  I  will  rally 
around  me  the  men  who  will  lift  our  bleeding  country  from 
the  dust  and  set  her  free."  Andrew  Lewis  was  a  great  Indian 
fighter,  and  to  him  more  than  anyone  else  is  due  the  credit 
of  having  gradually  driven  the  Indians  westward  across  the 
Alleghany  mountains  and  finally  across  the  Ohio  River,  for 
it  was  he  who  met  the  Indians  under  Cornstalk  at  Point 
Pleasants  in  1774  and  inflicted  upon  them  a  defeat  from 
which  they  never  recovered. 

The  time  from  Bacon's  Rebellion  to  the  battle  of  Point 
Pleasants  was  in  round  numbers  one  hundred  years.  During 
this  period  the  population  of  Virginia  had  increased  more 
than  five  fold,  and  at  least  one-half  of  the  population  was 
west  of  the  Tidewater  Virginia  line.  The  progress  westward 
is  indicated  by  the  formation  of  the  following  counties : 


GROWTH    OF   VIRGINIA   IN    COLONIAL   DAYS  103 

(1)  Brunswick  County  formed  in  1720  from  Surry  and  Isle 
of  Wight,  and  named  for  the  Duke  of  Brunswick. 

(2)  Goochland  County  formed  in  1727  from  Henrico,  and 
named  for  Governor  Gooch  of  Virginia. 

(3)  Prince  William  County  formed  in  1730  from  Stafford 
and  King  George  and  named  for  Prince  William,  one  of  the 
sons  of  George  I. 

(4)  Amelia  County  formed  in  1734  from  a  part  of  Prince 
George,  and  named  for  Princess  Amelia.  It  was  the  home 
of  William  B.  Giles  and  Major  Joseph  Eggleston.  A  noted 
Negro  preacher,  by  the  name  of  Uncle  Jack,  who  lived  in 
Amelia,  was  a  veil  known  character  in  this  county.  Howe  in 
his  history  says  of  Uncle  Jack,  "He  was  kidnapped,  and 
brought  from  Africa  at  seven  years  of  age,  and  landed  at 
Osborne's  on  James  River,  from  what  it  is  supposed  was  the 
last  slaveship  which  deposited  its  cargo  in  Virginia.  Such  was 
his  worth  of  character,  that,  on  the  death  of  his  master,  several 
benevolent  individuals,  by  their  contributions  purchased  his 
freedom.  One,  who  knew  him  well,  said,  'I  regard  this  old 
African  as  a  burning  light,  raised  up  by  Christian  principles 
alone,  to  a  degree  of  moral  purity  seldom  equalled,  and  never 
exceeded  in  any  country.'  The  late  Eev.  Dr.  Eice  also  re- 
marked, '  The  old  man's  acquaintance  with  the  scriptures  is 
wonderful.  Many  of  his  interpretations  of  obscure  passages 
of  scripture  are  singularly  just  and  striking.  In  many  re- 
spects, indeed,  he  is  the  most  remarkable  man  I  ever  knew/ 

"His  views  of  the  leading  doctrines  of  Christianity  were 
thorough  and  evangelical.  His  preaching  abounded  with  quo- 
tations surprisingly  minute,  and  his  illustrations  were  vivid 
and  correct.  His  knowledge  of  human  nature  was  profound ; 
and  hence  his  extensive  usefulness  among  the  African  popu- 
lation, as  well  as  an  extensive  circle  of  whites.  His  language 
was  pure  English,  without  the  vulgarities  of  the  blacks.  In 
his  intercourse  with  all  classes  he  was  governed  by  Christian 
humility,  and  he  abhorred  cant  and  grimace.     He  uniformly 


104  LIFE   IX    OLD   VIRGINIA 

opposed,  both  in  public  and  private,  everything  like  noise  and 
disorder  in  the  house  of  God.  His  colored  audience  were  very 
prone  to  indulge  themselves  in  this  way.  But,  whenever  they 
did,  he  uniformly  suspended  the  exercises  until  they  became 
silent.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  he  rebuked  his  hearers  sub- 
stantially as  follows :  'You  noisy  Christians  remind  me  of  the 
little  branches  after  a  heavy  rain.  They  are  soon  full — then 
noisy — and  as  soon  empty.  I  had  a  great  deal  rather  see  you 
like  the  broad,  deep  river,  which  is  quiet  because  it  is  broad 
and  deep/ 

"  Of  this  worthy  and  strong-minded  old  man,  we  take  the 
liberty  of  annexing  a  few  anecdotes,  drawn  from  his  memoir 
in  the  Watchman  of  the  South.  In  speaking  of  the  excite- 
ment and  noise  at  a  protracted  meeting,  he  remarked,  'I  was 
reminded  of  what  I  have  noticed  in  the  woods:  when  the 
wind  blows  hard,  the  dry  leaves  make  a  great  .deal  more  noise 
than  the  green  ones/  When  persons  scoffed  at  his  religion, 
his  usual  diffidence  and  reserve  would  give  way  to  a  firm  and 
dignified  defence,  and  most  happily  would  he  'answer  a  fool 
according  to  his  folly.'  A  person  addicted  to  horse-racing  and 
card-playing  stopped  him  one  day  on  the  road,  and  said :  'Old 
man,  you  Christians  say  a  great  deal  about  the  way  to  heaven 
being  very  narrow.  Now,  if  this  be  so,  a  great  many  who 
profess  to  be  traveling  it  will  not  find  it  half  wide  enough.' 
'That's  very  true/  was  the  reply,  'of  all  who  have  merely  a 
name  to  live,  and  all  like  you.'  'Why  refer  to  me  ? '  asked  the 
man;  'if  the  road  is  wide  enough  for  any,  it  is  for  me.'  'By 
no  means,'  replied  Uncle  Jack;  'when  you  set  out  you  will 
want  to  take  along  a  card-table,  and  a  race-horse  or  two. 
Now,  there's  no  room  along  this  way  for  such  things,  and 
what  would  you  do,  even  in  heaven,  without  them?'  An  in- 
dividual accustomed  to  treat  religion  rather  sportively,  and 
who  prided  himself  upon  his  morality,  said  to  him,  'Old  man, 
I  am  as  good  as  I  need  be ;  I  can't  help  thinking  so,  because 
God  blesses  me  as  much  as  he  does  vou  Christians,  and  I  don't 


GROWTH    OF   VIRGINIA   IN    COLONIAL   DAYS  105 

know  what  more  I  want  than  he  gives  me.'  To  this  the  old 
preacher  replied,  with  great  seriousness,  'Just  so  with  the 
hogs.  I  have  often  looked  at  them,  rooting  among  the  leaves 
in  the  woods,  and  finding  just  as  many  acorns  as  they  needed ; 
and  yet  I  never  saw  one  of  them  look  up  to  the  tree  from 
whence  the  acorns  fell.'  In  speaking  of  the  low  state  of  re- 
ligion, he  said,  'there  seems  to  be  a  great  coldness  and  dead- 
ness  on  the  subject  of  religion  everywhere ;  the  fire  has  almost 
gone  out,  and  nothing  is  left  but  a  few  smoking  chumps, 
lying  about  in  places.' 

"The  laws  of  Virginia  prohibit  religious  a&  well  as  other 
assemblies  of  slaves,  unless  at  least  two  white  persons  are 
present.  Such,  however,  was  the  universally  acknowledged 
happy  influence  of  Uncle  Jack's  meetings,  that  in  his  case  it 
was  not  deemed  necessary  to  enforce  the  law.  On  once  occa- 
sion, some  mischievous  persons  undertook  to  arrest  and  whip 
him  and  several  of  his  hearers.  After  the  arrest,  one  of  the 
number  thus  accosted  Uncle  Jack :  'Well,  old  fellow,  you  are 
the  ringleader  of  all  these  meetings,  and  we  have  been  anxious 
to  catch  you;  now,  what  have  you  got  to  say  for  yourself?' 
'Nothing  at  all,  master,'  was  the  reply.  'What!  nothing  to 
say  against  being  whipped  !  how  is  that  ?'  'I  have  been  won- 
dering for  a  long  time,'  said  he,  'how  it  was  that  so  good  a 
man  as  the  Apostle  Paul  should  have  been  whipped  three 
times  for  preaching  the  Gospel,  while  such  an  unworthy  man 
as  I  am  should  have  been  permitted  to  preach  for  twenty 
years,  without  ever  getting  a  lick.'  It  is  hardly  necessary  to 
add  that  these  young  men  immediately  released  him." 

(5)  Orange  County  formed  in  1734  from  Spotsylvania  and 
named  after  Orange  in  Holland.  This  county  was  the  home 
of  James  Madison,  Governor  James  Barbour,  Judge  Philip 
Pendleton  Barbour,  and  the  birth  place  of  Zachariah  Taylor 
and  General  Wingfield  Scott. 

(6)  Augusta  County  formed  in  1738  from  Orange  and 
named  in  honor  of  Princess  Augusta.     Previously,  all  that 


106  LIFE    IN    OLD   VLRGINIA 

part  of  Virginia  lying  west  of  the  Blue  Eidge  was  included  in 
Orange ;  but  in  the  fall  session  of  this  year  it  was  divided  into 
the  counties  of  Frederick  and  Augusta.  Frederick  county 
was  bounded  by  the  Potomac  on  the  north,  the  Blue  Eidge  on 
the  east,  and  a  line  to  be  run  from  the  head  spring  of  Hedg- 
man  to  head  spring  of  the  Potomac,  on  the  south  and  west ; 
the  remainder  of  Virginia,  west  of  the  Blue  Eidge,  to  consti- 
tute Augusta.  As  the  population  increased,  the  limits  of 
Augusta  were  reduced  until  it  reached  its  present  bound- 
aries in  1790.  It  was  in  the  limits  of  this  county  that  John 
Lewis  dwelt. 

(7)  Frederick  County  formed  in  1738  from  Orange  and 
named  in  honor  of  Prince  Frederick.  In  1752  the  town  of 
Winchester  was  established  by  Act  of  Assembly.  It  was  in 
this  town  that  General  Washington  procured  baggage  horses, 
etc.,  in  1753  when  on  his  misson  to  the  French  on  the  Ohio. 

(8)  Louisa  County  formed  in  1742  from  Hanover  and 
named  in  honor  of  Queen  Louisa. 

(9)  Albemarle  County  formed  in  1744  from  Goochland 
and  named  in  honor  of  the  Duke  of  Albemarle.  It  was  the 
birth  place  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  always  made  his  resi- 
dence at  Monticello,  in  this  county.  It  was  also  the  home 
of  Meriwether  Lewis,  and  the  birth  place  of  George  Eogers 
Clark. 

(10)  Lunenburg  County  formed  in  1746  from  Brunswick 
and  named  after  Lunenburg,  Germany. 

(11)  Chesterfield  County  formed  in  1748  from  Henrico 
and  named  after  Lord  Chesterfield.  It  is  the  county  in  which 
John  Eandolph  spent  his  boyhood  days.  At  Falling  Creek 
was  the  first  iron  furnace  in  America. 

(12)  Culpeper  County  formed  in  1748  from  Orange  and 
named  for  Lord  Culpeper,  governor  of  Virginia.  In  1749 
Washington  was  appointed  by  the  President  and  Masters  of 
William  and  Mary  College  surveyor  of  this  county.  It  was 
this   county  which  sent  out  the  famous  Culpeper  Minute- 


GROWTH   OF  VIRGINIA    I>T   COLONIAL  DAYS  107 

men,  in  1775,  to  join  Patrick  Henry  with  a  banner  having 
upon  it  the  words,  "Culpeper  Minute  Men,"  and  in  the  centre 
a  rattlesnake  coiled  read}'  to  strike  with  the  words  "Liberty" 
on  one  side  and  "Or  Death"  on  the  other,  and  beneath  the 
snake  the  words  "Don't  Tread  On  Me." 

(13)  Cumberland  County  formed  in  1748  from  Goochland 
and  named  for  the  Duke  of  Cumberland. 

(14)  Dinwiddie  County  formed  in  1752  from  Prince 
George  and  named  in  honor  of  Governor  Dinwiddie. 
Its  main  town  Petersburg  was  named  after  Peter  Jones  who 
accompanied  Col.  William  Byrd  on  his  expedition  to  survey 
the  dividing  line  between  Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 

(15)  Halifax  County  formed  in  1752  from  Lunenburg  and 
named  after  Halifax  in  England. 

(16)  Bedford  County  formed  in  1753  from  Lunenburg 
and  named  after  Bedford  in  England.  In  this  county  are 
the  celebrated  Peaks  of  Otter. 

(17)  Prince  Edward  County  formed  in  1753  from  Amelia 
and  named  after  one  of  the  sons  of  George  II.  In  this 
county  is  Hampden  Sidney  College,  which  began  as  an  acad- 
emy before  the  Revolutionary  days  under  the  support  of  the 
Presbyterians  of  the  south  side  of  Virginia. 

(18)  Hampshire  County  formed  in  1754  from  Frederick 
and  Augusta.  It  was  the  first  county  in  that  part  of  Vir- 
ginia which  is  now  included  in  West  Virginia.  It  was  named 
after  Hampshire  in  England. 

(19)  Loudon  County  formed  in  1757  from  Fairfax  and 
named  in  honor  of  the  Earl  of  Loudon,  at  that  time  com- 
mander of  the  English  forces  in  America.  In  this  county  at 
Oakhill  r  President  Monroe. 

(20)  Fauquier  County  formed  in  1759  from  Prince  Wil- 
liam and  named  after  Governor  Fauquier.     This  county  was 

th  place  of  John  Marshall. 

(21)  Amherst  County  formed  in  1701  from  Albemarle  and 
named  after  Lord  Amherst. 


108  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

(22)  Buckingham  County  formed  in  1761  from  Albemarle 
and  named  after  Buckingham  in  England.  In  this  county 
lived  the  renowned  soldier  of  the  Bevolution,  Peter  Francisco. 
Howe  in  his  history  says  of  him:  "His  origin  was  ob- 
scure. He  supposed  that  he  was  a  Portugese  by  birth,  and 
that  he  was  kidnapped  when  an  infant  and  carried  to  Ireland. 
He  had  no  recollection  of  his  parents,  and  the  first  knowledge 
he  preserved  of  himself  was  that  he  was  in  that  country  when  a 
small  boy.  Hearing  much  of  America  and  being  of  an  ad- 
venturous turn,  he  indented  himself  to  a  sea  captain  for 
seven  years,  in  payment  for  his  passage.  On  his  arrival  he 
was  sold  to  Anthony  "Winston,  Esq.,  of  this  county,  on  whose 
estate  he  labored  faithfully  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
revolution.  He  was  then  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  partaking 
of  the  patriotic  enthusiasm  of  the  times,  he  asked  and  ob- 
tained permission  of  his  owner  to  enlist  in  the  army.  At 
the  storming  of  Stony  Point  he  was  the  first  soldier,  after 
Major  Gibbon,  who  entered  the  fortress,  on  which  occasion 
he  received  a  bayonet  wound  in  the  thigh.  He  was 
at  Brandywine,  Monmouth,  and  other  battles  at  the  north, 
and  was  transferred  to  the  south  under  Greene,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  the  actions  of  the  Cowpens,  Camden,  Guilford 
Court-house,  etc.  He  was  a  very  brave  man,  and  possessed 
such  confidence  in  his  prowess  as  to  be  almost  fearless.  He 
used  a  sword  having  a  blade  five  feet  in  length  which  he 
could  wield  like  a  feather,  and  every  swordsman  who  came 
in  contact  with  him,  paid  the  forfeit  of  his  life.  His  ser- 
vices were  so  distinguished  that  he  would  have  been  promoted 
to  an  office  had  he  been  enabled  to  write.  His  stature  was 
six  feet  and  an  inch,  and  his  weight  260  pounds.  His  com- 
plexion was  dark  and  swarthy,  features  bold  and  manly,  and 
his  hands  and  feet  uncommonly  large.  Such  was  his  personal 
strength,  that  he  could  easily  shoulder  a  cannon  weighing 
1,100  pounds;  and  our  informant,  a  highly  respectable  gen- 
tleman now  residing  in  this  county,  in  a  communication  be- 


GROWTH    OF   VIRGINIA    IN    COLONIAL   DAYS  109 

fore  us,  says :  'He  could  take  me  in  his  right  hand  and  pass 
over  the  room  with  me,  and  play  my  head  against  the  ceiling, 
as  though  I  had  been  a  doll-baby.  My  weight  was  195  pounds !' 
The  following  anecdote,  illustrative  of  Francisco's  valor,  has 
often  been  published : 

"  'While  the  British  army  were  spreading  havoc  and  deso- 
lation all  around  them,  by  their  plunderings  and  burnings  in 
Virginia,  in  1781,  Francisco  had  been  reconnoitering,  and 

while  stopping  at  the  house  of  a  Mr.  V ,  then  in  Amelia, 

now  Nottoway  county,  nine  of  Tarleton's  cavalry  came  up, 
with  three  negroes,  and  told  him  he  was  their  prisoner.  See- 
ing he  was  overpowered  by  numbers,  he  made  no  resistance. 
Believing  him  to  be  very  peaceable,  they  all  went  into  the 
house,  leaving  him  and  the  paymaster  together.  'Give  up 
instantly  all  that  you  possess  of  value,'  said  the  latter,  'or  pre- 
pare to  die.'  'I  have  nothing  to  give  up,'  said  Francisco,  'so 
use  your  pleasure.'  'Deliver  instantly,'  rejoined  the  soldier, 
'those  massy  silver  buckles  which  you  wear  in  your  shoes.' 
'They  were  a  present  from  a  valued  friend,'  replied  Francisco, 
'and  it  would  grieve  me  to  part  with  them.  Give  them  into 
your  hands  I  never  will.  You  have  the  power;  take  them  if 
you  think  fit.'  The  soldier  put  his  sabre  under  his  arm,  and 
bent  down  to  take  them.  Francisco,  finding  so  favorable  an 
opportunity  to  recover  his  liberty,  stepped  one  pace  in  his 
rear,  drew  the  sword  with  force  from  under  his  arm,  and  in- 
stantly gave  him  a  blow  across  the  skull.  'My  enemy,'  ob- 
served Francisco,  'was  brave,  and  though  severely  wounded, 
drew  a  pistol,  and  in  the  same  moment  that  he  pulled  the 
trigger,  I  cut  his  hand  nearly  off.     The  bullet  grazed  my 

side.    Ben  V (the  man  of  the  house)  very  ungenerously 

brought  out  a  musket,  and  gave  it  to  one  of  the  British  sol- 
diers and  told  him  to  make  use  of  that.  He  mounted  the 
only  horse  they  could  get,  and  presented  it  at  my  breast.  It 
missed  fire.  I  rushed  on  the  muzzle  of  the  gun.  A  short 
struggle  ensued.     I  disarmed  and  wounded  him.     Tarleton's 


110  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

troop  of  four  hundred  men  were  in  sight.  All  was  hurry  and 
confusion,  which  I  increased  by  repeatedly  hallooing,  as  loud 
as  I  could,  Come  on  my  brave  boys;  now's  your  time;  we  will 
soon  dispatch  these  few,  and  then  attack  the  main  body !  The 
wounded  man  flew  to  the  troop ;  the  others  were  panic  struck, 

and  fled.    I  seized  V and  would  have  dispatched  him,  but 

the  poor  wretch  begged  for  his  life;  he  was  not  only  an  object 
of  my  contempt,  but  pity.  The  eight  horses  that  were  left  be- 
hind, I  gave  him  to  conceal  for  me.  Discovering  Tarleton 
had  dispatched  ten  more  in  pursuit  of  me,  I  made  off.  I 
evaded  their  vigilance.  They  stopped  to  refresh  themselves. 
I,  like  an  old  fox,  doubled  and  fell  on  their  rear.    I  went  the 

next  day  to  Y for  my  horses;  he  demanded  two  for  his 

trouble  and  generous  intentions.  Finding  my  situation  dan- 
gerous and  surrounded  by  enemies  where  I  ought  to  have 
found  friends,  I  went  off  with  my  six  horses.  I  intended  to 
have  avenged  myself  on  Y at  a  future  day,  but  Provi- 
dence ordained  I  should  not  be  his  executioner,  for  he  broke 
his  neck  by  a  fall  from  one  of  the  very  horses.' " 

(23)  Mecklenburg  County  formed  in  1761  from  Lunen- 
burg and  named  after  Mecklenburg  in  Germany.  It  was  at 
Boydton  that  the  Randolph  Macon  College  was  established  in 
1832. 

(24)  Pittsylvania  County  formed  in  1767  from  Halifax 
and  named  after  William  Pitt. 

(25)  Botetourt  County  formed  in  1769  from  Augusta  and 
named  after  Governor  Botetourt.  It  was  in  this  part  of  Au- 
gusta county  that  Andrew  Lewis  had  his  home. 

(26)  Berkeley  County  formed  in  1772  from  Frederick  and 
named  after  Lord  Berkeley.  It  was  the  second  county  to  be 
organized  in  what  is  now  West  Yirginia.  Many  of  the  early 
settlers  in  this  locality  were  Scotch  Presbyterians.  There 
were  many  Indian  troubles  in  this  locality  in  the  early  days. 
There  is  an  interesting  anecdote,  related  by  Kercheval,  in 
his  account  of  Indian  incursions  and  massacres  in  this  region, 


GROWTH    OF    VIRGINIA    IN    COLONIAL   DAYS  HI 

of  a  young  and  beautiful  girl,  named  Isabella  Stockton,  who 
was  taken  prisoner  in  the  attack  on  Xeally's  Fort,  and  car- 
ried and  sold  to  a  Canadian  in  Canada.  A  young  French- 
man, named  Plata  becoming  enamored  with  her,  made  pro- 
posals of  matrimony.  This  she  declined  unless  her  parents' 
consent  could  be  obtained — a  strong  proof  of  her  filial  affec- 
tion and  good  sense.  The  Frenchman  conducted  her  home, 
readily  believing  that  his  generous  devotion  and  attachment 
to  the  daughter  would  win  their  consent.  But  the  prejudices 
then  existing  against  the  French,  made  her  parents  and 
friends  peremptorily  reject  his  overtures.  Isabella  then 
agreed  to  elope  with  him,  and  mounting  two  of  her  father's 
horses,  they  fled,  but  were  overtaken  by  her  two  brothers  in 
pursuit,  by  whom  she  was  forcibly  torn  from  her  lover  and 
protector  and  carried  back  to  her  parents,  while  the  poor 
Frenchman  was  warned  tha.t  his  life  should  be  the  forfeit  of 
any  farther  attempts. 

(27)  Shenandoah  County  formed  in  1772  from  Frederick, 
and  first  named  Dunmore.  In  1777,  on  account  of  the  odium 
attached  to  the  name  of  Lord  Dunmore,  it  took  the  name  of 
the  river  which  flows  through  it.  This  county  was  settled 
chiefly  by  Germans  from  Pennsylvania,  a  hard  working,  in- 
dustrious people.  Howe  narrates,  "In  the  year  1758,  a  party 
of  about  fifty  Indians  and  four  Frenchmen  penetrated  into 
the  Mill  Creek  neighborhood,  about  nine  miles  south  of  Wood- 
stock and  committed  some  murders,  and  carried  off  forty- 
eight  prisoners.  Among  them  was  a  young  lad  of  the  name 
of  Fi?ber,  about  thirteen  years  of  age. 

"  After  six  day's  travel  they  reached  their  village  west  of 
the  Alleghany  mountains,  where  they  held  a  council,  and  de- 
termined to  sacrifice  their  helpless  prisoner,  Jacob  Fisher. 
They  first  ordered  him  to  collect  a  quantity  of  dry  wood.  The 
poor  little  fellow  shuddered,  burst  into  tears,  and  told  his 
father  they  intended  to  burn  him.  His  father  replied,  'I 
hope  not,  and  advised  him  to  obey.     When  he  had  collected 


11&  LIFE    IX    OLD   VIRGINIA 

a  sufficient  quantity  of  wood  to  answer  their  purpose,  they 
cleared  and  smoothed  a  ring  around  a  sapling  to  which  they 
tied  him  by  one  hand,  and  then  formed  a  trail  of  wood  around 
the  tree,  and  set  it  on  fire.  The  poor  boy  was  then  compelled 
to  run  round  in  this  ring  of  fire  until  his  rope  wound  him 
up  to  the  sapling,  and  then  back  until  he  came  in  contact 
with  the  flame,  while  his  infernal  tormentors  were  drinking, 
singing  and  dancing  around  him,  with  'horrid  joy.'  This 
was  continued  for  several  hours,  during  which  time  the  sav- 
age men  became  beastly  drunk,  and  as  they  fell  prostrate  to 
the  ground,  the  squaws  would  keep  up  the  fire.  With  long 
poles  prepared  for  the  purpose,  they  would  pierce  the  body  of 
their  victim  whenever  he  flagged,  until  the  poor  and  helpless 
boy  fell,  and  expired  with  the  most  excruciating  torments, 
while  his  father  and  brothers,  who  were  prisoners,  were  com- 
pelled to  be  witnesses  of  the  heart-rending  tragedy. 

"In  1766,  two  men  by  the  name  of  Sheetz  and  Taylor,  had 
taken  their  wives  and  children  in  a  wagon,  and  were  on 
their  way  to  the  fort  at  Woodstock.  At  the  Narrow  Passage, 
three  miles  south  of  Woodstock  five  Indians  attacked  them. 
The  two  men  were  killed  at  the  first  onset,  and  the  Indians 
rushed  to  seize  the  women  and  children.  The  women,  in- 
stead of  swooning  at  the  sight  of  their  bleeding,  expiring 
husbands,  seized  their  axes,  and  with  Amazonian  firmness 
and  strength  almost  superhuman,  defended  themselves  and 
children.  One  of  the  Indians  had  succeeded  in  getting  hold 
of  one  of  Mrs.  Sheetz's  children,  and  attempted  to  drag  it 
out  of  the  wagon;  but  with  the  quickness  of  lightning  she 
caught  her  child  in  one  hand  and  with  the  other  made  a 
blow  at  the  head  of  the  fellow,  which  caused  him  to  quit  his 
hold  to  save  his  life.  Several  of  the  Indians  received  pretty 
sore  wounds  in  this  desperate  conflict,  and  all  at  least  ran 
off,  leaving  the  two  women  with  their  children  to  pursue 
their  way  to  the  fort." 

In  Shenandoah  County  lived,  at  the  opening  of  the  Revolu- 


GROWTH   OF   VIRGINIA   IN    COLONIAL   DAYS  113 

tion,  General  Peter  Muhlenburg.  Of  him  Howe  says :  "Gen. 
Peter  Muhlenburg  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
by  profession  a  clerg}rman  of  the  Lutheran  order.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  revolution,  he  was  a  young  man  about 
thirty  years  of  age,  and  pastor  of  a  Lutheran  church  at  Wood- 
stock. In  1776,  he  received  the  commission  of  colonel,  and 
was  requested  to  raise  his  regiment  among  the  Germans  of 
the  valley.  Having  in  his  pulpit  inculcated  the  principles 
of  liberty,  he  found  no  difficulty  in  enlisting  a  regiment.  He 
entered  the  pulpit  with  his  sword  and  cockade,  preached  his 
farewell  sermon,  and  the  next  day  marched  at  the  head  of 
his  regiment  to  join  the  army.  His  regiment  was  the  Eighth 
Virginia,  or  as  it  was  commonly  called,  the  German  regiment. 
This  corps  behaved  with  honor  throughout  the  war.  They 
were  at  Brandywine,  Monmouth,  and  Germantown,  and  in 
the  southern  campaigns.  In  1777,  Mr.  Muhlenburg  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  After  the  war  he 
returned  to  Pennsylvania,  and  was  appointed  treasurer  of 
that  State,  where  he  ended  his  days.  In  person  Gen.  Muhlen- 
burg was  tall  and  well  proportioned,  and  in  his  address,  re- 
markably courteous.  He  was  a  fine  disciplinarian,  an  excel- 
lent officer  and  esteemed  and  beloved  bv  both  officers  and  sol- 
diers." 


CHAPTER  XII. 
Some  Observations  on  Tidewater  People 


The  greater  percentage  of  the  direct  descendants  of  the 
original  families  who  made  the  first  permanent  settlement  of 
the  English  speaking  people  in  America  a  success,  are  more 
likely  to  be  found  in  rural  Tidewater  Virginia  than  in  any 
locality  of  equal  size  elsewhere  in  the  United  States.  Up  to 
the  ending  of  the  Civil  War,  there  were  few  accessions  to  the 
population  of  this  section  of  Virginia,  and  very  few  foreigners 
resident  there. 

The  United  States  Census  of  1900  credited  the  State  of 
Virginia  with  ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  native  born  population, 
and  one  per  cent,  of  foreign  born  population,  then  resident 
within  its  limits.  The  one  per  cent,  of  foreign  born  resi- 
dents were  largely  within  the  cities  and  big  towns  of  the 
State. 

In  some  counties  of  Tidewater  Virginia,  one  may  travel 
for  continuous  days  without  meeting  other  than  native  resi- 
dents whose  ancestors  came  direct  from  Europe  many  years 


ago. 


Immediately  upon  the  formation  of  the  several  counties  in 
Tidewater  Virginia,  the  best  spots,  and  the  most  fertile  soils 
were  selected  and  appropriated  into  vast  estates,  in  the  midst 
of  which  was  the  owner's  mansion,  probably  far  away  from 
the  public  road,  and  the  public  gaze.  Such  homes  needed  not 
the  attraction  of  a  passing  procession.  They  held  within  their 
walls,  and  their  surrounding  wide  fields  sufficient  attraction 
for  the  mind  and  body  of  him  who  was  content  to  lead  a 
decent  life. 

The  most  coveted  lands  were  those  to  be  found  situated 

[114] 


SOME    OBSERVATIONS   ON    TIDEWATER   PEOPLE  115 

contiguous  to  navigable  streams,  wherefrom  their  products 
could  be  readily  and  cheaply  forwarded  to  market.  The  next 
choice  of  lands  were  those  situated  upon  the  outskirts  of  the 
big  estates,  where  grew  heavy  timber.  The  choice  spots  of 
heavily  timbered  lands  were  also  the  property  of  the  agricul- 
tural "  barons  of  the  waters  side."  The  owners  of  the  large 
estates  never  thought  of  putting  a  price  upon  them.  In  fact 
it  would  have  been  an  inexcusable  affront  for  one  to  suggest 
such  a  contingency  as  "  sell  the  home."  There  was  no  place 
else  for  them  upon  this  broad  earth  other  than  where  their 
ancestors  dwelt.  Under  these  conditions  there  were  no  lands 
for  sale,  other  than  the  remoter,  poor,  sandy  soils  in  the  in- 
teriors of  the  peninsulas,  much  of  which  were  settled  by  the 
poorer  classes,  who  also  were  greatly  attached  to  the  soil  where 
their  forefathers  also  lived  and  died.  Thus  it  was  that  the 
lands  of  Virginia  became  "  The  Sacred  Soil." 

Because  of  this  manner  of  appropriating  the  soil,  and  the 
lack  of  rapid  communication,  and  transportation  facilities 
throughout  this  section,  there  was  left  but  little  or  no  induce- 
ment for  an  outsider  to  "  come  in  and  stay."  The  newcomer 
had  but  one  choice  left  him — the  poorest  lands;  thus  one 
sees  why  this  territory  had  not  increased  its  population 
proportionately  with  other  less  favored  sections  of  the  United 
States. 

When  the  Civil  War  ended,  and  emancipation  changed  the 
old  established  forms  of  labor,  there  were  left  many  "land 
poor  "  landlords.  Since  then  many  of  these  big  estates  have 
been  curtailed  in  their  dimensions  by  sales  to  the  former  ser- 
vants, and  to  outsiders  who  are  thus  encouraged  in  the  oppor- 
tunity to  build  up  and  foster  industries  hitherto  denied  this 
section. 

After  about  its  first  century  of  settlement,  it  was  never 
again  the  territory  to  which  immigrants  from  the  old  world 
came  to  settle,  as  they  did  to  other  parts  of  the  United  States. 
The  fact  that  its  southern  and  eastern  boundaries  are  covered 


116  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

with  wide  waters — the  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  Potomac  River — • 
and  that  there  are  no  railroad  facilities  in  its  interior  sec- 
tions, may  account  for  the  loss  of  even  transient  travel 
throughout  its  limits.  It  is  therefore  less  known,  by  means 
of  direct  intercourse  through  its  territory,  than  perhaps  any 
other  locality  of  its  size  in  the  United  States,  notwithstanding 
its  history  is  the  earliest  and  most  interesting  of  all  that  terri- 
tory which  comprised  the  original  thirteen  States. 

The  extension  of  railroad  facilities  throughout  these  coun- 
ties would  facilitate  the  transportation  of  their  commodities 
more  rapidly  to  market,  and  would  also  bring  their  lands 
within  easy  reach  and  notice  of  the  outside  public,  thereby 
enhancing  their  values  which  under  present  conditions  and 
surroundings  are  justly  believed  to  be  greatly  undervalued. 

Tidewater  Virginia  is  nature's  sanitarium  for  the  ner- 
vously wrecked  humanity  of  city  life.  There  are  numberless 
points  of  land — little  peninsulas — overlooking  pretty  streams, 
throughout  all  that  section  which  are  suited  to  make  the  ideal 
home  for  the  nerve  wrecked  business  man,  who,  because  of  the 
necessities  of  the  modern  life,  is  so  frequently  the  victim. 

There  are  numerous  suitable  locations  for  such  homes  with- 
in less  than  one  hundred  miles  from  the  Capital  City  of  the 
United  States.  Many  of  these  spots  are  yet  in  the  primi- 
tively quiet  condition  in  which  Captain  John  Smith  first 
viewed  them  on  his  voyages  of  discovery  throughout  this 
section  in  the  year  1608,  in  search  of  a  passage  way  to  the 
Indies.  They  are  enlivened  only  by  the  echoing  whistle  of 
some  passing  steamer  as  she  plows  a  watery  furrow  on  her 
voyage  up  or  down  their  quiet  streams,  and  blows  a  warning 
of  steam  to  the  drowsy  wharf  master,  to  get  himself  in  readi- 
ness to  "  grab  her  bow  line  "  and  "  snub  her,"  ere  she  slips 
into  the  dark  of  the  overhanging  pines,  and  is  lost  in  the 
wilderness  of  shadows  and  waters,  and  made  a  wreck  on  the 
shore. 

The  points  of  land,  jutting  out  between  rivers  or  creeks, 


SOME   OBSERVATIONS    ON    TIDEWATER    PEOPLE  117 

were  the  seats  of  the  largest  land  owners,  and  wealthiest 
planters,  and  were  the  more  remote  spots  from  the  public 
gaze.  In  such  places  often  were  found  the  cradles  of  pro- 
found thought,  and  the  seats  of  learning,  as  well  as  wealth. 
From  these  locations  came  the  famous  men  of  Virginia,  and 
of  the  nation  during  the  earliest  and  later  years  of  history. 

To  characterize  a  people  is  to  give  an  account  of  their  dis- 
tinguishing personal  qualities. 

An  extraordinary  proof  of  the  orderly  condition  of  the 
people  inhabiting  this  section  may  be  had  by  reference  to  the 
report  of  the  State  Auditor  of  the  criminal  expenses  of  the 
counties  comprising  it,  during  the  fiscal  year  ending  Sep- 
tember 30,  1905.  A  few  extracts  from  this  report  are  here- 
with appended: 

Charles  City  County,  criminal  expenses   $174  27 

Essex  County,  criminal  expenses   172  28 

King  and  Queen  County,  criminal  expenses 79  50 

New  Kent  County,  criminal  expenses   142  33 

Northumberland  County,  criminal  expenses   162  99 

Stafford   County,   criminal   expenses    159  46 

York  County,   criminal  expenses    116  67 

City  of  Fredericksburg,  criminal  expenses  434  20 

City  of  Williamsburg,  criminal  expenses    44  80 

These  are  the  criminal  expenses  of  a  county  or  city  during 
a  whole  twelve  months.  Criminal  expenses  increase  through- 
out the  several  counties  only  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 
alien,  or  non-native  persons  either  permanently  or  temporarily 
resident  therein.  The  increase  of  criminal  expenses  is  rarely 
caused  by  offences  committed  by  the  native  residents.  The 
•  man,  white,  or  black,  who  should  become  a  menace  to  the  peace 
and  quiet  of  society  there  would  not  be  tolerated.  Heinous 
crimes  against  one's  fellow  man  are  things  almost  unknown 
in  many  of  these  sections.  Very  many  of  the  county  jails 
are  untenanted  for  successive  months,  and  others  have  been 
vacant  for  succeeding  years. 


118  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

The  people  of  Tidewater  have  developed  and  practiced 
these  traits  of  honorable  character  in  their  dealings  with  one 
another,  and  with  strangers  within  their  gates,  which 
approach  as  near  to  the  "  Golden  Bule  "  as  can  be  found  in 
the  same  aggregate  of  population  an)rwhere  else  in  the  United 
States. 

Without  fear  or  trepidation,  one  is  able  to  travel  during 
the  darkest  nights  over  the  lonely  public  roads,  notwithstand- 
ing the  many  favorable  spots  within  the  dense  woods  which 
could  be  found  suited  to  commit  dark  deeds,  free  from  the 
sight  and  hearing  of  all  but  a  dastardly  villian  and  his  victim. 

These  people  are  proverbially  courteous  to  one  another  and 
to  strangers.  The  abrupt  manner  often  so  prominent  in 
many  other  sections  of  the  United  States,  and  especially  in 
the  densely  populated  communities,  is  not  in  evidence  in 
Tidewater  Virginia.  When  they  meet,  they  take  time  to 
greet  each  other,  and  the  frequent  and  sociable  answer  to  the 
personal  inquiry  is  "  I'm  toPable,  thank  you." 

The  most  common  manner  of  salutation  with  the  "black 
mammy  "  is :  "  Howdy  Sis'  Jane,"  or,  addressing  one  by  the 
Christian  name  only,  and  the  answer  may  be :  "  I'm  right 
smaht  pohly,  thank  de  Lawd.  How  is  yo'  ?"  "  Sistah 
Jane  "  means  by  her  reply  that  she  thanks  the  Lord  she  is  not 
worse  than  poorly. 

The  negro  men  are  usually  less  serious  in  their  greetings, 
and  will  frequently  answer  such  inquiry  in  a  mirthful  tone: 
"Use  right  smaht  an'  sha-ap  fo'  an  ol'  man,  thank  you'." 
This  manner  of  reply  is  more  frequently  heard  from  the 
younger  men.  The  old  man  may  tell  you  of  the  miseries  in 
his  body  and  limbs,  with  a  precision  which  would  do  credit  to 
a  practitioner  of  medicine. 

There  is  an  ease  and  grace  about  Virginia  hospitality  which 
cannot  be  imitated.  It  is  acquired  only  as  the  infant  acquires 
the  use  of  its  limbs — step  by  step — in  long  and  patient  prac- 
tice.    It  is  devoid  of  the  profuseness  of  "  company  manners," 


SOME    OBSERVATIONS    ON    TIDEWATER   PEOPLE  119 

which  wearies  both  guest  and  host.  If  one  is  accepted  as  a 
guest  he  is  "  at  home  "  during  the  visit,  whether  it  be  with- 
in the  log  cabin  in  the  Forest,  or  the  colonial  brick  man- 
sion on  the  river's  shore. 

The  social  life  of  these  people  prior  to  the  Civil  War  was 
most  agreeable.  Among  the  wealthier  classes,  invitations  to 
"come  and  dine  with  us"  followed  whenever  an  extra  fat 
lamb  was  found  among  the  flock,  or  when  a  goodly  supply  of 
wild  birds,  wild  ducks  or  geese  fell  before  the  hunter's  gun. 

The  custom  of  "  spending  the  day,"  which  might  mean  a 
week  or  more,  was  of  common  occurrence  amongst  those  of 
leisure.     "Well  trained  servants,  and  abundance  of  home  raised 
"  food  products  lessened  the  burden  of  entertainment. 

When  ladies  met  and  saluted  each  other  in  the  usual  form, 
they  completed  their  greeting  by  an  invitation  to  each  other 
to  "come  and  spend  the  day  and  bring  your  knitting."  or  an 
invitation  to  "  a  quilting "  followed.  Since  the  Civil  War, 
knitting  by  hand  is  fast  becoming  one  of  the  lost  arts  of  the 
grandmothers.  The  quilting  was  one  of  the  many  friendly 
and  social  features  of  country  life,  in  which  young  and  old 
participated.  A  home-made  quilt  in  which  the  neighbors 
joined  to  fashion  was  a  work  of  art  and  patience  combined. 
It  was  composed  of  scraps  from  wedding  gowns,  and  other 
garments,  cut  into  all  manner  of  shapes  and  devices.  Each 
scrap  had  its  own  history  in  connection  with  the  wearer  of 
the  original  garment  from  which  it  was  cut.  Some 
"  patches  "  in  the  quilt  were  cut  to  represent  hearts,  birds, 
animals,  and  such  devices  as  might  suit  the  fancy  of  the 
worker.  Monograms  were  tastefully  and  artfully  worked  with 
silken  threads,  with  the  date  added  in  which  the  work  was 
done.  From  such  a  quilt  could  be  built  up  a  memory  history 
good  neighbors  and  friends.  The  male  members  of  the 
respective  families  attended  the  quilting  in  the  evening  in 
time  to  partake  of  the  bounteous  supper  and  the  dance  which 
[lowed. 


120  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Quiltings  were  continued  until  after  the  Civil  War;  they 
have  now  become  a  memory  only  of  "old  times  in  old  Vir- 
ginia." 

In  the  salt  water  sections  "  oyster  roasts  "  and  "  fish-f rys," 
were  amongst  the  social  pleasures.  These  festivals  were  con- 
ducted upon  the  shores  of  some  river  where  the  oysters  or 
fish  were  procured.  Such  entertainments  were  frequently 
conducted  during  political  campaigns,  or  for  church  aid. 

The  professors  of  voice  culture  throughout  the  nation 
should  bring  their  pupils  to  this  section  to  hear  the  human 
voice  from  the  lips  of  a  Tidewater  Virginia  lady.  Virginians 
are  remarkable  for  the  modulated  sweet  tone  of  their  voices. 
But  nowhere  in  the  United  States  is  the  human  voice  so 
charming  to  the  ear  as  in  the  lower  peninsulas.  The  women 
especially,  have  such  an  easy,  graceful,  and  charming  tone 
and  flow  of  language  as  to  be  captivating.  One  would  sur- 
mise that  it  would  be  an  impossibility  for  such  people  to 
utter  a  harsh,  violent  scream  under  any  provocation.  Ex- 
cessively vulgar  conversation,  or  viciously  vulgar  epithets, 
even  when  in  angry  moods  are  seldom  uttered  by  any  class  of 
these  people. 

There  never  was  in  Tidewater  Virginia  a  class  of  people 
such  as  is  known  and  classified — sometimes  humorously,  and 
often  seriously — as  "  poor  white  trash."  The  "  poor  white 
trash  "  are  supposed  to  be  those  persons  who  lived  in  certain 
isolated  sections  of  the  late  slave  holding  States,  remote  from 
the  improved  and  enlightened  communities,  and  are  said  to 
be  devoid  of  education  and  common  information,  crude  in 
manner  of  address  and  means  of  living. 

There  are  no  islolated  sections  in  Tidewater  Virginia,  in  the 
sense  referred  to  here.  The  several  counties  are  small,  and 
narrow  in  breadth  of  territory,  and  therefore  few  homes  can 
be  located  far  from  the  regular  routes  of  travel,  or  from  the 
villages  where  the  respective  seats  of  justice  are  located. 

The  frequent  and  genteel  intercourse  of  these  people  with 


SOME    OBSERVATIONS   ON    TIDEWATER   PEOPLE  121 

one  another  at  all  public  festivities,  political  speakings,  reli- 
gious services,  etc.,  keep  bright  and  smooth  the  otherwise  dull 
and  rough  edges  of  human  nature,  which  are  said  to  be  the 
outgrowth  of  absolute  isolation  and  seclusion. 

There  is  little  envy  or  jealousy  between  the  classes  of  rich 
and  poor.  They  mingle  on  an  equality  during  all  public 
occasions.  The  "Golden  Calf"  was  not  originated,  neither 
is  he  "  tethered  "  in  Tidewater  Virginia.  The  individual  is 
respected  because  of  his  good  qualities,  and  not  because  of  his 
worldly  possessions.  The  learned  judge  of  a  Court  carries 
his  head  no  higher — in  distain  of  his  less  favored  fellow 
man — than  does  the  "  Forester,"  who  can  neither  read  nor 
write  his  name,  but  is  a  decent  citizen.  Neither  of  them 
have  disdain  for  their  fellow  man  unless  the  individual  for- 
feits his  self  respect  through  his  own  seeking. 

"Wealth  is  a  comparative  term  which  changes  with  the  years 
of  prosperity  and  adversity. 

Before  the  emancipation  of  the  negro,  persons  in  that  sec- 
tion who  had  several  hundreds  of  acres  of  land  and  servants 
to  work  it,  were  classed  as  rich  and  independent,  though  the 
total  values  of  all  their  possessions  were  less  than  the  sum  of 
fifty  thousand  dollars.  Following  in  the  order  of  property 
values  were,  "  the  well  to  do,"  "  the  fairly  well  to  do,"  and 
"the  tolerably  well  to  do."  Beyond  these  grades  of  riches 
were  many  whose  whole  possessions  would  value  less  than  one 
thousand  dollars;  nevertheless,  such  persons  were  enabled  to 
live  upon  and  reap  many  more  comforts  from  these  meagre 
possessions  than  could  be  had  elsewhere  for  many  added  hun- 
dreds per  cent,  greater  values  of  property. 

The  Tidewater  Virginia  farmer  who  is  out  of  debt,  and 
possesses  one  or  two  hundred  acres  of  "  tolerably  good  land," 
convenient  to  a  salt  water  stream,  of  which  he  can  add  the 
products  to  his  table,  is  more  independent  of  the  world  than 
the  city  dweller  who  is  possessed  of  countless  thousands  of 


122,  LIFE   IN    OLD    VIRGINIA 

wealth  in  stocks  or  bonds,  liable  to  become  "  dead  sea  fruit " 
upon  his  hands. 

The  rich  and  the  well  to  do  persons  usually  sent  their  chil- 
dren from  home  to  be  educated  at  such  institutions  as  the 
University  of  Virginia,  the  Virginia  Military  Institute, 
William  and  Mary  College,  and  to  the  many  other  colleges  and 
prominent  academies  which  were  established  in  the  State  in 
the  19th  Century.  When  the  students  completed  their  educa- 
tion, they  returned  to  their  homes,  some  to  enter  the  prefession 
of  law,  or  medicine,  or  to  engage  in  pursuits  other  than  labors 
which  tended  to  harden  and  make  callous  their  fingers  and 
palms.  The  white  man  of  Tidewater  Virginia,  if  possible  to 
prevent,  did  not  often  endanger  his  health  by  hard,  manual1 
labor,  neither  did  his  servant,  the  negro,  "  befo'  de  wah." 

The  young  men  of  the  present  generation  resident  in  Tide- 
water do  more  manual  work  than  did  the  "  cavaliers  of  the 
olden  time;"  and  will  grasp  a  plow  handle,  or  other  imple- 
ment of  honest  toil  which  gives  assurance  of  prosperity. 
Many  of  them  are  successfully  conducting  extensive  fisheries 
for  fertilizer  of  the  soil,  and  others  are  engaged  in  the  can- 
ning of  oysters,  fruits,  and  other  commodities  that  had  no 
market  value  there  prior  to  the  Civil  War  because  of  the 
absence  of  transportation  facilities  to  reach  a  market. 

Tidewater  Virginia  people  are  conservative  to  the  verge  of 
stubbornness.  They  must  have  time  for  full  deliberation  be- 
fore they  act.  They  "feel  the  jerk  on  the  fish  hook,"  and 
determine  whether  it  be  a  "  bite,"  or  "  a  nibble  "  before  pull- 
ing it  up. 

The  many  fishery  and  canning  and  lumber  industries,  and 
other  industries  which  originated  since  the  Civil  War  were 
introduced,  encouraged  and  successfully  maintained  by  non- 
natives  long  before  the  Tidewater  people  could  be  induced  to 
make  investments  therein. 

The  conservatism  of  these  people  was  inherited  from  their 
forefathers.     The  early  colonist  preferred  the  independent 


SOME    OBSERVATIONS    ON    TIDEWATER    PEOPLE  123 

life  upon  his  own  lands  and  waters  to  that  of  any  other  occu- 
pation, and  refused  to  encourage,  or  engage  in  trading,  or 
manufacturing,  or  in  the  building  up  of  towns  within  his 
section. 

In  1680,  the  assembly  passed  an  act  to  encourage  the  build- 
ing of  towns,  and  offered  inducements  to  mechanics  and 
others  to  settle  in  them. 

"An  act  for  cohabitation  ana  encouragement  of  trade  and 
manufacture. 

"  This  present  general  assembly  haveing  taken  into  their 
serious  consideration  the  greate  necessity,  usefulnesse  and 
advantages  of  cohabitation  in  his  Majesties  country  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  observing  and  foreseeing  the  greate  extremeties  his 
Majesties  subjects  here  must  necessarily  fall  under  by  the 
present  and  continued  loweness  of  the  price  of  tobacco;  the 
only  commodity  and  manufacture  of  this  country  (if  the 
same  be  not  by  all  prudential  meanes  and  wayes  prevented) 
and  considering  that  the  building  of  store  houses  for  the  re- 
ception of  all  merchandizes  imported  and  receiving,  secure- 
ing  and  laying  ready  all  tobaccos  for  exportation  and  for  sale 
and  disposall  of  all  goods,  merchandizes  and  tobaccoes  im- 
ported and  exported  into  or  from  this  his  Majesties  colony  of 
Virginia  will  be  one  greate  means  for  advancement  thereof, 
doe  pray  your  majestie  that  it  may  be  enacted,  and  be  it 
enacted  by  the  king's  most  excellent  majestie  by  and  with  the 
consent  of  the  general  assembly,  and  it  is  hereby  enacted  by 
the  authority  aforesaid  that  there  be  within  two  months  next, 
and  immediately  after  the  publication  hereof  in  every  re- 
spective county  within  this  his  majesties  colony  50  acres  of 
land  purchased  by  the  ffeoffoes  of  the  several  counties  at  the 
rates  hereafter  sett  downe  and  measured  about,  layd  out  and 
appointed  for  a  towne  for  store  houses  &c.  for  such  county  as 
is  hereafter  sett  downe  and  expressed,  that  is  to  say : 

"  In  Henrico  oovmtv  at  Varina  where  the  court  house  is. 


124  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

"  In  Charles  Citty  county  at  Fflower  de  hundred  over 
against  Swiniares  (Swinyards). 

"  In  Surry  county  att  Smith's  Ffort. 

"  In  James  Citty  county  at  James  Citty. 

"  In  Isle  of  Wight  county  at  Pates  Ffield  att  the  parting 
of  Pagans  Creeke. 

"In  Nansemond  county  att  Coll  Dues  point  also  Huffs 
point. 

"  In  Warwick  county  att  the  mouth  of  Deep  Creek  on  Mr. 
Mathews  land. 

"  In  Elizabeth  county  on  the  west  side  of  Hampton  Paver 
on  Mr.  Thos.  Jarvis  his  plantation  where  he  now  lives. 

"  In  Lower  Norfolk  county  on  Nicholas  Wise  his  land  on 
the  Capital  Eastern  Branch  on  Elizabeth  Eiver  at  the  en- 
trance on  the  Branch."     Now  a  part  of  Norfolk  City. 

"  In  Yorke  County  on  Mr.  Eeeds  land  where  the  Ship 
Honors  store  was  including  the  low  beach  for  land,  wharves, 
&c,  and  the  old  field  where  Webber  dwelt  for  cohabitation. 

"  In  New  Kent  county  att  the  Brick  house  along  the  high 
land  from  marsh  to  marsh."  This  is  now  known  as  Brick 
House  landing — a  plantation. 

"  In  Gloster  county  at  Tindalls  point  on  Tindalls  creek 
side  on  John  Williams  land."  Now  known  as  Gloucester 
Point. 

"  In  Middlesex  county  on  the  west  side  of  Ralph  Worme- 
leys  Creek  against  the  plantation  where  he  now  lives."  Now 
known  as  Urbanna. 

"  In  Rappahannock  county  att  Hobses  Hole."  Now  known 
as  Tappahannock,  Essex  County. 

"  In  Stafford  county  att  Pease  Point  at  the  mouth  of  Aquia 
on  the  north  side. 

"  In  Westmoreland  county  att  Nominie  on  the  land  of  Mr. 
Hardwicke. 

"  In  Accomack  county  att  Colverts  Necke  on  the  northwest 
side  att  the  head  of  an  Anchor  Creeke."     (Onancock  Creek). 


SOilE   OBSERVATIONS    ON    TIDEWATER   PEOPLE  125 

This  is  now  known  as  the  town  of  Onancock,  which  in  1900 
had  a  population  of  938. 

"  In  Northampton  county  at  the  north  side  of  Kings  creeke 
beginning  at  the  mouth  and  so  along  the  creeke  which  divides 
Mr.  Chewnings  and  the  court-house. 

"In  Northumberland  county,  Chickacony,"  Cone  River 
Landing,  now  containing  one  store,  and  canning  establish- 
ment. 

"  The  price  to  be  paid  by  each  county  for  each  respective 
50  acres  shal  be  tenn  thousand  pounds  and  caske,  which 
summe  the  owner  or  owners  thereof  shal  be  and  are  hereby 
constrained  to  accept  take  and  receive  as  a  full  and  valuable 
price  and  consideration  for  the  said  land  forever,  and  for 
which  he  shall  acknowledge  and  pass  an  authentique  deed  in 
law  to  such  person  x  x  x  as  shall  be  nominated  by  the  justices 
of  the  county  court  as  ffeofroes  in  trust  to  and  for  the  use  of 
the  county.  Such  person  x  x  x  whatsoever  as  will  build  a 
dwelling  house  and  ware  house  thereupon  x  x  shall  have 
assigned  him  x  x  by  deed  y2  acres  of  the  said  land  in  fee  sim- 
ple, he  to  pay  to  the  county  100  pounds  of  tobacco  and  caske 
and  building  such  dwelling  house  and  ware  house  thereupon 
as  by  this  act  is  enjoyned.  All  tobacco  whatsoever  which  shall 
be  made  within  his  majesties  colony  from  and  after  the  first 
day  of  Jany.  next  (1681)  ensueing,  and  alsoe  other  goods  and 
merchandizes  whatsoever  of  the  growth  of  this  colony  to  be  ex- 
ported shal  be  brought  to  the  aforesaid  appointed  places  where 
all  such  tobaccoes  and  all  other  goods  and  merchandizes  what- 
soever of  the  growth  and  production  of  this  colony  are  to  be 
brought,  sould,  shipped  and  freighted,  and  whosoever  shall  pre- 
sume to  buy,  sell,  freight  or  ship  of  any  tobaccoe  or  other 
goods  or  merchandizes  aforesaid  next  after  the  tyme  aforesaid, 
before  the  same  is  brought  to  such  appointed  places  upon  due 
proofs  thereof  made  shall  forfeit  and  loose  all  such  tobaccoes 
or  other  merchandizes  whatsoever.     All  goods  imported,  ser- 


126  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

vants  negroes  and  other  slaves  &e  to  be  landed  at  the  town 
only. 

"  Mechanics,  tradesmen  and  labourers  who  shall  inhabit  the 
towns,  be  wholly  freed  from  any  arrest  of  their  persons  or 
seize  of  their  estates  for  such  debts  as  were  formerly  con- 
tracted, and  for  and  during  the  t}one  of  ffive  years  to  come 
next  after  the  publication  of  this  law.  That  all  such  trades- 
men and  labourers  cohabiting  in  the  places  aforesaid  and  not 
planting  tending  or  makeing  tobacco,  shal  be  freed  and 
acquitt  from  paying  any  publique  larges  during  the  terms  of 
ffive  years  from  the  publication  of  this  act." 

Notwithstanding  all  these  inducements  to  build,  and 
penalties  for  shipping  their  products  or  importing  then 
goods  elsewhere  than  at  these  "  towns,"  the  people  refused  to 
aid  in  "  building  up  towns  for  the  benefit  of  such  idlers  as 
might  congregate  there." 

Many  of  the  planters  destroyed  their  tobacco  in  preference 
to  being  compelled  to  ship  it  from  these  places. 

There  are  steamboat  landings  at  several  of  the  localities 
herein  named,  but  the  writer  does  not  know  of  any  towns  now 
existing  in  any  of  the  places  specified  in  the  act,  excepting 
Norfolk,  Urbanna,  Tappahannock,  and  Onancock,  as  herein- 
before noted. 

There  were  towns  built  up  by  the  tobacco  trade  in  locali- 
ties not  mentioned  in  this  act.  Yorktown  was  one  of  these 
places.  Its  early  history  shows  that  it  was  the  chief  port  for 
the  entire  trade  of  Virginia  and  was  during  that  period  a  busy 
scene  of  commerce  and  wealth.  In  the  year  1900,  it  con- 
tained but  151  inhabitants.  Hanovertown,  on  the  Pamunkey 
River  was  built  by  the  tobacco  trade  before  Richmond  was 
laid  out,  and  about  the  date  of  the  Revolutionary  War  was 
a  place  of  more  importance ;  it  needed  but  one  or  two  votes  in 
the  General  Assembly  of  being  chosen  as  the  Capital  of  Vir- 
ginia.    Its  site  is  now  a  ploughed  field. 


SOME   OBSERVATIONS    OX    TIDEWATER   PEOPLE  127 

Leedstown  in  "Westmoreland  County,  on  the  Rappahannock 
River  was  founded  in  the  same  year  with  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
(1681)  and  in  its  beginning  was  far  more  prosperous.  Its 
warehouses  were  better  filled  and  its  intercourse  with  Eng- 
land was  greater  and  more  profitable  than  that  of  Philadel- 
phia. It  is  now  a  wharf  on  the  Rappahannock  River.  It  is 
not  populated  sufficiently  to  make  it  even  a  voting  precinct. 

When  Tidewater  Virginians  become  convinced  that  a  changa 
is  needed,  and  the  same  is  once  made,  they  are  equally  deter- 
mined in  maintaining  their  new  position. 

Every  Tidewater  Virginian  is  intensely  proud  of  his  native 
State,  whether  he  was  born  in  a  log  cabin  there  and  quenched 
his  youthful  thirst  at  the  "  sweep  pole  well "  from  the 
"  drinking  gourd "  which  got  its  first  training  in  the 
"  gyarden  truck  patch,"  or  whether  he  was  born  in  a  "  colo- 
nial brick  mansion,"  where  the  sideboard  is  graced  by  the 
silver  "  stirrup  cup  "  a  treasured  heirloom  to  him  through 
a  long  line  of  noble  English  ancestry.  Because  of  this  pride, 
he  will  "  stick  by  old  Virginia,"  and  "  never  tire." 

"Breathes  there  the  man,  with  soul  so  dead, 

Who  never  to  himself  hath  said, 
'This  is  my  own — my  Native  Land!' 

Whose  heart  hath  ne'er  within  him  burned 

As  home  his  footsteps  he  hath  turned 

From  wand'ring  on  a  foreign  strand? 

If  s~ch  there  breathe,  go — mark  him  well: 

For  him  no  minstral  raptures  swell; 

High  though  his  titles,  proud  his  name, 

Boundless  his  wealth  as  wish  can  claim — 

Despite  those  titles,  power  and  pelf, 

The  wretch,  concentrated  all  in  self, 

Living,  shall  forfeit  fair  renown; 

And,  doubly  dying,  shall  go  down 

To  the  vile  dust  from  whence  he  sprung, 

Unwept,  unhonorcd,  and  unsung." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Commonwealth  of  Virginia,  1776 — 1860. 


In  the  first  seventy-five  years  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
Virginia's  population  trebled.  It  went  from  the  head  of 
Tidewater,  through  the  Piedmont,  across  the  Blue  Eidge  into 
the  Great  Valley  and  finally  across  the  Allegheny  mountains, 
even  to  the  borders  of  the  Ohio  Eiver. 

England  had  in  her  first  American  daughter,  a  great  com- 
monwealth which  would  have  been  to  her  a  source  of  incal- 
culable benefit  had  she  known  how  to  handle  her  own  children 
in  the  new  world.  Unfortunately,  she  was  unwilling  to  give 
to  them  in  America  the  same  rights  and  privileges  that  they 
would  have  enjoyed  had  they  resided  in  England.  She  pro- 
posed, after  the  French  and  Indian  "War,  in  which  Virginia 
had  taken  so  active  a  part  under  "Washington  at  Fort 
Duquesne,  and  in  which  Virginia  thus  showed  her  entire  loy- 
alty to  England,  to  tax  the  American  colonies  for  the  support 
of  English  troops  on  American  soil.  In  1765,  the  English 
Parliament  passed  the  Stamp  Act,  from  which  sprang  the 
serious  trouble  in  American  colonies.  It  raised  the  ire  of  the 
liberty-loving  Virginians  who  were  led  bv  Patrick  Henrv  in 
the  House  of  Burgesses  in  1765,  to  adopt  the  famous  Stamp 
Act  resolutions  which  declared  that  the  right  to  tax  the  colony 
of  Virginia  lay  in  the  General  Assembly  of  the  colony,  and  in 
no  other  power.  When  the  Stamp  Act  was  repealed,  and  the 
tea  tax  imposed,  Virginia  again  adopted  a  series  of  famous 
resolves.  The  Assembly  was  dissolved  for  this  action  that 
was  regarded  as  treasonable.  The  members  of  the  House  of 
Burgesses,  among  them  George  Washington,  immediately 
assembled  in  the  famous  Raleigh  Tavern,  at  Williamsburg, 

[128] 


THE    COMMONWEALTH    OF   VIRGINIA  129 

and  entered  into  a  non-importation  agreement,  by  which  they 
bound  themselves  not  to  buy  any  tea  from  England  as  long 
as  the  tax  was  imposed.  One  measure  after  another  followed. 
The  Virginians  smypathized  with  the  people  of  Boston  when 
their  harbor  was  closed.  They  became  distrustful  of  their 
governor,  Lord  Dunmore.  They,  therefore,  accepted  the  in- 
vitation of  Massachusetts  to  the  first  Continental  Congress  in 
1774.  The  colony  had  already  appointed  a  committee  of  cor- 
respondence to  correspond  with  all  of  the  colonies  on  the  con- 
ditions prevailing  in  them.  Her  son,  Peyton  Randolph,  was 
president  of  the  first  Continental  Congress;  her  Jefferson 
presented  to  that  Congress  a  famous  paper  known  as  the  sum- 
mary view  of  the  rights  of  British  America ;  and  her  Henry  in 
that  Congress  declared  "British  oppression  has  effaced  the 
boundaries  of  the  several  colonies,  the  distinctions  between 
Virginians,  Pennsylvanians,  New  Yorkers  and  New  Eng- 
enders are  no  more.  I  am  not  a  Virginian  but  an  Amer- 
ican." In  the  meanwhile  matters  were  reaching  a  crisis  in 
Virginia.  Lord  Dunmore  marched  with  a  force  to  the  West 
to  meet  the  Indians,  but  instead  of  joining  General  Andrew 
Lewis,  left  that  pioneer  to  fight  alone  with  Cornstalk  and  his 
warriors  at  Point  Pleasant.  It  was  generally  thought  that 
Dunmore  did  this  with  the  hope  that  the  Virginia  army 
might  be  destroyed.  Then  it  was  that  the  Virginians  called 
a  convention,  and  in  March,  1775,  in  Old  St.  John's  Church 
in  Richmond,  Patrick  Henry  made  his  famous  speech,  asking 
that  troops  be  raised  to  defend  Virginia  against  British 
oppression.  Hardly  had  a  force  been  raised  before  word  came 
from  New  England  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  and  Concord. 
In  the  meantime,  Lord  Dunmore  seized  the  gun-powder  that 
was  stored  in  the  powder  magazine  at  Williamsburg;  where- 
upon Virginian  troops  marched  against  him;  and  forced  him 
to  pay  for  the  gun  powder.  Thereupon  the  governor  fled 
from  Williamsburg,  and  open  war  was  begun  between  the 
colony  of  Virginia  and  its  royal  governor.     In  the  meantime, 


130  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

the  second  Continental  Congress  (1775)  had  met  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  Washington  had  been  elected  as  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  American  army. 

Dunmore  seized  Norfolk,  and  was  driven  out  by  Colonel 
William  Woodford.  He  then  retired  to  Gwynn's  Island,  off 
the  coast  of  Matthews  comity,  from  which  he  was  finally 
driven,  in  July,  1776.  While  war  was  raging,  great  events 
had  taken  place  at  Williamsburg.  The  famous  convention  of 
1776  had  met,  of  which  Edmund  Pendleton  was  president. 
Resolutions  had  been  adopted,  instructing  the  delegates  in  the 
Continental  Congress  to  declare  the  colonies  free  and  inde- 
pendent. Virginia  then  proceeded  to  adopt  the  famous  Bill 
of  Eights  drawn  by  George  Mason,  which  set  forth  that  all 
men  are  equally  free  and  independent.  On  the  29th  of  June, 
she  adopted  her  first  constitution,  five  days  before  Jefferson's 
famous  Declaration  of  Independence  was  adopted  by  the 
Continental  Congress.  On  the  30th  of  June,  the  Convention 
elected  the  first  governor  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia, 
and  for  this  position,  in  the  trying  times  of  the  rebellion 
against  the  Mother  Country,  Henry  was  selected.  For  five 
years  Virginia  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the  councils  of 
the  united  colonies  and  on  the  battle-field,  and  it  was  on  her 
soil  that  the  final  great  struggle— the  battle  of  Yorktown— 
took  place. 

The  history  of  Virginia  from  1776  to  1860  deals  chiefly 
with  matters  relating  to  home  development  and  the  relation 
of  the  State  to  the  Federal  government.  Following  the 
adoption  of  her  constitution,  under  the  direction  of  Jefferson, 
the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  dis-established  the  church 
and  declared  for  religious  freedom.  It  abolished  the  primo- 
geniture and  entail  system,  by  which  lands  were  held  in  the 
family  and  handed  down  from  the  father  to  the  oldest  sor 

From  1780  to  1850  a  struggle  was  made  for  the  extension 
of  suffrage.  Under  the  constitution  of  1776  a  relic  of  colo- 
nial government,  no  man  could  vote  who  did  not  possess  as 


County  Street,  Yorktown,  Va. ,  the  Principal  Street  of  the  Town. 


pt 

X           friar » 

%                     ^toL    Ella    Ira KS1 

_          i^^a^R_ 

'^Vfc^^^tallL      ~— 

. 

(  ustom   House  at   Yorktown,  Va.,   built    L706. 

tiov>  owned  bj   Dr.  I).  M,  Norton,  i  •  •  ■!•  .n-.l  plij  ician.      l  lie  oldest  Cu  torn  H  in  the  t     S, 


THE    COMMON  WEALTH    OF   VIRGINIA  131 

much  as  twenty-five  acres  of  land  with  a  house  on  it,  or  fifty 
acres  of  unimproved  land.  After  a  long  struggle,  suffrage 
was  extended  in  1S30  to  certain  lease-holders  and  house- 
holders, but  not  until  the  famous  Eeform  Convention  of 
1850-51  was  every  free  white  man  allowed  to  vote.  During 
the  same  period,  there  was  a  struggle  for  the  equalization  of 
representation  in  the  General  Assembly.  The  Western  coun- 
ties of  the  State  became  more  populous  than  the  Eastern,  but 
yet,  under  the  system  of  representation,  established  by  the 
Constitution  of  1776,  each  county  had  two  representatives, 
without  regard  to  population :  Loudon  County,  for  example, 
in  1629,  with  forty-two  times  the  white  population  of  War- 
wick had  only  two  representatives.  This  was  especially  ob- 
noxious to  all  the  western  part  of  the  State,  and  it  was  with 
the  hope  of  equalizing  representation  that  the  Convention  of 
1829-30  was  held.  This  convention  did  something  towards 
improving  the  system  of  representation,  but  not  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  Western  people.  The  result  was  that  twenty 
years  later,  another  convention  was  called,  which  made  it 
possible  for  the  western  counties  to  be  better  represented  in 
proportion  to  population.  The  people  of  the  East,  however, 
had  more  wealth,  and  they  claimed  that  it  was  not  just  to 
base  representation  upon  white  population  alone,  but  that  the 
basis  of  taxation  should  likewise  be  considered.  During  this 
period,  also,  a  struggle  was  made  for  a  change  in  local  gov- 
ernment in  the  counties  and  towns.  In  1776,  the  people  of 
any  county  in  Virginia  were  allowed  to  vote  for  no  officer  ex- 
cept their  member  of  the  General  Assembly.  All  other 
officers  were  appointed  by  the  governor.  This  system  prac- 
tically remained  in  use  until  1S50,  as  the  Convention  of 
1829-30  made  few  changes,  but  the  famous  Eeform  Conven- 
tion of  1850-51  gave  to  the  people  the  right  to  elect  the  gov- 
ernor, and  the  judges  and  all  local  officers  as  well  as  members 
of  the  General  Assembly.  Thus,  the  voice  of  the  people  was 
to  be  taken  on  all  official  matters.     During  this  whole  period, 


132  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

however,  the  people  voted  by  the  viva  voce  system,  and  secret 
ballot  was  never  introduced  into  Virginia  elections  until  after 
the  Civil  War. 

About  1800  a  great  fight  arose  in  the  State  for  internal 
improvements.  A  demand  was  made  in  the  western  part  of 
the  State  for  the  building  of  turnpikes  and  for  canals.  East- 
ern Virginia  did  not  clamor  so  much  for  internal  improve- 
ments, as  there  were  so  many  navigable  streams  in  that  sec- 
tion. For  this  reason,  as  much  as  anything  else,  Eastern  Vir- 
ginians were  unwilling  to  allow  too  much  representation  in 
the  General  Assembly  to  the  people  of  the  West,  fearing  that 
if  the  western  part  of  the  State  controlled  the  Assembly,  it 
would  vote  away  too  freely  the  money  in  the  treasury  for  in- 
ternal improvements.  During  this  same  period,  some  trouble 
arose  with  the  slaves,  and  an  insurrection  arose  in  Southamp- 
ton known  as  the  Nat  Turner  Insurrection.  The  result  of  it 
was  that  a  movement  set  on  foot  for  the  abolition  of  slavery 
lacked  only  one  vote  of  passing  the  Lower  House  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  Virginia. 

The  relation  of  the  State  to  the  Federal  Government  was 
also  an  important  matter.  As  a  rule,  the  Virginians  claimed 
that  no  law  could  be  passed  by  Congress  unless  the  power  to 
pass  such  law  was  specifically  granted  to  Congress  by  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States.  The  famous  Virginia  reso- 
lutions of  1798-99  declared  the  alien  and  sedition  laws  un- 
constitutional. Every  step  towards  broadening  the  powers 
of  the  Federal  Government  was  fought  by  the  State  of  Vir- 
ginia. Her  statesmen  saw  that  eventually  trouble  would 
come  over  the  question  of  how  to  construe  the  Constitution 
and  how  the  Federal  government  might  deal  with  the  Slavery 
question.  When  the  John  Brown  Insurrection  occurred  in 
1859,  and  the  election  of  Lincoln  as  President  in  1860,  Vir- 
ginia did  its  utmost  to  preserve  the  Union.  She  cast  her 
electoral  vote  for  the  Constitutional  Union  party,  and  after  a 
number  of  Southern  States  had  seceded,  in  the  earlv  cart  of 


THE    COMMONWEALTH   OF   VIRGINIA 


133 


1861  she  called  for  a  Peace  Commission  to  meet  in  Washing- 
ton, to  try  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation  between  the  Union 
and  the  seceding  states,  and  it  was  her  son,  ex-president  John 
Tyler  who  presided  over  this  conference. 

During  this  period,  from  1776  to  1860  Virginia  furnished 
the  Union  seven  presidents — Washington,  Jefferson,  Madi- 
son, Monroe,  William  Henry  Harrison,  John  Tyler  and 
Zachary  Taylor.  This  is  enough  to  give  her  the  name  of 
Mother  of  Statesmen.  She  likewise  gave  to  the  Union  in  the 
early  part  of  this  period  a  large  territory  from  which  six 
States  have  been  carved— the  Northwest  territory  which  had 
been  conquered  for  Virginia  by  George  Eogers  Clark,  and 
Kentucky  which  in  1792,  she  voluntarily  allowed  to  become  a 
State  in  the  Union.  This  entitles  her  to  be  calledthe  Mother 
of  States.  The  increase  in  her  population  was  great,  though 
not  in  proportion  to  some  of  the  other  States  of  the  Union. 

During  this  period  the  following  counties  were  organized : 

1.  Henry,  formed  in  1776,  from  Pittsylvania,  named  after 
Patrick  Henrv. 

2.  Monongalia,  formed  in  1776. 

3.  Montgomery,  formed  in  1776,  from  Fincastle  County, 
and  named  after  General  Montgomery.  In  this  county  is 
situated  Blacksburg,  the  seat  of  the  Virginia  Polytechnic 
Institute. 

4.  Ohio,  formed  in  1776,  and  named  after  the  river.  In 
this  county  is  situated  Wheeling. 

5.  Washington,  formed  in  1776,  from  Fincastle  County 
(now  Botetourt).  In  this  county  is  located  Emory  and 
Henry  College.  The  settlers  of  this  county  had  to  fight  with 
the  Cherokee  Indians  in  the  South.  To  protect  this  country, 
even  before  it  was  made  into  a  county,  General  Andrew  Lewis 
led  a  force  as  far  south  as  Knoxville,  Tennessee. 

6.  Fluvanna,  formed  in  1777  from  Albemarle,  and  named 
after  James  river  above  the  falls,  which  for  a  long  time  was 
called  Fluvanna. 


134  LIFE   IlT    0LD   VIRGINIA 

7.  Greenbrier,  formed  in  1777,  from  Botetourt  and  Mont- 
gomery, and  named  for  its  principal  stream. 

8.  Powhatan,  formed  in  1777,  from  Cumberland  and 
named  after  the  old  Indian  chief. 

9.  Eockbridge,  formed  in  1778,  from  Augusta  and  Bote- 
tourt, and  named  after  Natural  Bridge,  which  is  in  the 
county.  The  county  seat  is  Lexington,  in  which  is  located 
Washington  and  Lee  University  and  Virginia  Military  In- 
stitute. In  this  locality,  the  chief  settlers  were  Scotch-Irish. 
Howe  savs: 

They  had  no   sooner  found  a  home  in  the  wiiderness,  than 
they  betook  themselves  to  clearing  fields,  building  houses,  and 
planting  orchards,  like  men  who  felt  themselves  now   settled, 
and  were  disposed  to  cultivate  the  arts  of  civilized  life.     Few  of 
them  ever  ran  wild  in  the  forests,  or  joined  the  bands  of  white 
hunters   who  formed  the   connecting  link  between   the   savage 
aborigines   and  the  civilized   tillers   of  the   soil.     They   showed 
less  disposition  than  the  English  colonists  to  engage  in  traffic 
and  speculative  enterprises.     Without  feeling  dull  or  phlegmatic, 
they  were  sober  and  thoughtful,  keeping  their  native  energy  of 
feeling  under  restraint,  and  therefore  capable,  when  exigencies 
arose,  of  calling  forth  exertions  as  strenuous  and  as  persevering 
as    the    occassion    might    demand.     In    their    devotion    to    civil 
liberty,    they    differed    not    from    the    majority    of   their   fellow- 
colonists.     Their  circumstances,   in   a  new   country  planted  by 
themselves,    far    remote    from    the    metropolitan    government, 
fostered  and  strengthened  their  ancestral  spirit  of  freedom.     As 
Presbyterians,  neither  they  nor  their  forefathers  would  submit 
to   an    ecclesiastical    hierarchy;    and    their   detestation   of   civil 
tyranny  descended  to  them  from  the  convenanters  of  Scotland. 
Hence,   in   the   dispute  between   the   colonists   and  the  mother 
country,  the  Presbyterians  of  the  valley — indeed  of  the  whole 
country — were   almost   unanimously   Whigs   of  the   firmest  and 
most  unconquerable  spirit.     They  were  among  the  bravest  and 
most    effective    militia,    when    called    into    the    field.     General 
Washington  signified  his  opinion  of  them  when,  in  the  darkest 
day  of  the  revolutionary  struggle,  he  expressed  his  confidence, 


THE   COMMONWEALTH   OF   VIRGINIA  135 

that  if  all  other  resources  should  fail,  he  might  yet  repair  with 
a  single  standard  to  West  Augusta,  and  there  rally  a  band  of 
patriots  who  would  meet  the  enemy  at  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  there 
establish  the  boundary  of  a  free  empire  in  the  west.  This  say- 
ing of  the  father  of  his  country  has  been  variously  reported;  but 
we  have  no  reason  to  doubt  that  he  did,  in  some  form,  declare 
his  belief  that,  in  the  last  resort,  he  could  yet  gather  a  force  in 
western  Virginia  which  the  victorious  armies  of  Britian  could 
not  subdue.  The  spirit  of  these  sires  still  reigns  in  their 
descendents,  as  the  day  of  trial,  come  when  it  may,  will  prove. 

10.  Rockixgham,  formed  in  1778,  from  Augusta,  named 
after  Rockingham,  in  England.  This  part  of  the  valley  was 
settled  chiefly  by  Germans  from  Pennsylvania.  Of  their 
home  life  Kercheval  says : 

The  first  houses  erected  by  the  primitive  settlers  were  log- 
cabins,  with  covers  of  split  clap-boards,  and  weight  poles  to 
keep  them  in  place.  They  were  frequently  seen  with  earthen 
floors;  or  if  wooden  floors  were  used,  they  were  made  of 
split  puncheons,  a  little  smoothed  with  the  broadaxe.  These 
houses  were  pretty  generally  in  use  since  the  author's  recollec- 
tion. There  were,  however,  a  few  framed  and  stone  buildings 
erected  previous  to  the  war  of  the  revolution.  As  the  country 
improved  in  population  and  wealth,  there  was  a  corresponding 
improvement  in  the  erection  of  buildings. 

When  this  improvement  commenced,  the  most  general  mode 
of  building  was  with  hewn  logs,  a  shingle  roof,  and  plank  floor, 
the  plank  cut  out  with  the  whip-saw.  Before  the  erection  of 
saw-mills,  all  the  plank  used  in  the  construction  of  houses  was 
worked  out  in  this  way.  As  it  is  probable  some  of  my  young 
readers  have  never  seen  a  whip-saw,  a  short  description  of  it 
may  not  be  uninteresting.  It  was  about  the  length  of  the  com- 
mon mill-saw  with  a  handle  at  each  end  transversely  fixed  to  it. 
The  timber  intended  to  be  sawed  was  first  squared  with  the 
broadaxe,  and  then  raised  on  a  scaffold  six  or  seven  feet  high. 
Two  able-bodied  men  then  took  hold  of  the  saw,  one  standing 
on  the  top  of  the  log  and  the  other  under  it,  and  commenced 
sawing.  The  labor  was  excessively  fatiguing,  and  about  one 
hundred  feet  of  plank  or  scantling  was  considered  a  good  day's 
work  for  the  two  hands. 

The  introduction  of  saw-mills,  however,  soon  superceded  the 


136  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

use  of  the  whip-saw,  but  they  were  not  entirely  laid  aside  until 
several  years  after  the  war  of  the  revolution. 

The  dress  of  the  early  settlers  was  of  the  plainest  materials — 
generally  of  their  own  manufacture;  and  if  a  modern  "  belle  "  or 
"  beau "  were  now  to  witness  the  extreme  plainness  and  sim- 
plicity of  their  fashions,  the  one  would  be  almost  thrown  into  a 
fit  of  the  hysterics,  and  the  other  frightened  at  the  odd  and  gro- 
tesque appearance  of  their  progenitors.  Previous  to  the  war 
of  the  revolution,  the  married  men  generally  shaved  their  heads, 
and  either  wore  wigs  or  white  linen  caps.  When  the  war  com- 
menced, this  fashion  was  laid  aside,  partly  from  patriotic  con- 
siderations and  partly  from  necessity.  Owing  to  the  entire 
interruption  of  the  intercourse  with  England,  wigs  could  not 
easily  be  obtained,  nor  white  linen  for  caps.  The  men's  coats 
were  generally  made  with  broad  backs,  and  straight  short  skirts, 
with  pockets  on  the  outside  having  large  flaps.  The  breeches 
were  so  short  as  barely  to  reach  the  knee,  with  a  band  surround- 
ing the  knee,  fastened  with  either  brass  or  silver  buckles.  The 
stocking  was  drawn  up  under  the  knee-band,  and  tied  with  a 
garter  (generally  red  or  blue)  below  the  knee,  so  as  to  be  seen. 
The  shoes  were  of  coarse  leather,  with  straps  to  the  quarters, 
and  fastened  with  either  brass  or  silver  buckles.  The  hat  was 
either  of  wool  or  fur,  with  a  round  crown  not  exceeding  three 
or  four  inches  high,  with  a  broad  brim.  The  dress  for  the  neck 
was  usually  a  narrow  collar  to  the  skirt,  with  a  white  linen 
stock  drawn  together  at  the  ends,  on  the  back  of  the  neck,  with 
a  broad  metal  buckle.  The  more  wealthy  and  fashionable  were 
sometimes  seen  with  their  stock,  knee  and  shoe  buckles,  set 
either  in  gold  or  silver  with  brilliant  stones.  The  author  can 
recollect,  when  a  child,  if  he  happened  to  see  any  of  those  finely 
dressed  "  great  folk "  as  they  were  then  termed,  he  felt  awed 
in  their  presence,  and  viewed  them  as  something  more  than 
man.  The  female  dress  was  generally  the  short  gown  and  petti- 
coat, made  of  the  plainest  material.  The  German  women  mostly 
wore  tight  calico  caps  on  their  heads,  and  in  the  summer  season 
they  were  generally  seen  with  no  other  clothing  than  a  linen 
shift  and  petticoat — the  feet,  hands  and  arms  bare.  In  hay  and 
harvest  time  they  joined  the  men  in  the  labor  of  the  meadow 
and  grain  fields.  This  custom  of  the  females  laboring  in  the 
time  of  harvest,  was  not  exclusively  a  German  practice,  but  was 
common  to  all  the  northern  people.  Many  females  were  most 
expert  mowers  and  reapers.    Within  the  author's  recollection, 


THE    COMMONWEALTH   OF   VIRGINIA  137 

he  has  seen  several  female  reapers  who  were  equal  to  the  stout- 
est males  in  the  harvest-field.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see 
the  female  part  of  the  family  at  the  hoe  or  the  plow;  and  some 
of  our  now  wealthiest  citizens  frequently  boast  of  their  grand- 
mothers, ay,  mothers  too,  performing  this  kind  of  heavy  labor. 
The  natural  result  of  this  kind  of  rural  life  was  to  produce  a 
hardy  and  vigorous  race  of  people.  It  was  this  race  of  people 
who  had  to  meet  and  breast  the  various  Indian  wars,  and  the 
storms  of  the  revolution. 

The  Dutchman's  barn  was  usually  the  best  building  on  his 
farm.  He  was  sure  to  erect  a  fine  large  barn  before  he  built 
any  other  dwelling-house  than  his  rude  log-cabin.  There  were 
none  of  our  primitive  immigrants  more  uniform  in  the  form  of 
their  buildings  than  the  Germans.  Their  dwelling-houses  were 
seldom  raised  more  than  a  single  story  in  height,  with  a  large 
cellar  beneath;  the  chimney  in  the  middle,  with  a  very  wide 
fireplace  in  one  end  for  the  kitchen;  in  the  other  end  a  stove- 
room.  Their  furniture  was  of  the  simplest  and  plainest  kind; 
and  there  was  always  a  long  pine  table  fixed  in  one  corner  of 
the  stove-room,  with  permanent  benches  on  one  side.  On  the 
upper  floor,  garners  for  holding  grain  were  very  common.  Their 
beds  were  generally  filled  with  straw  or  chaff,  with  a  fine  feather- 
bed for  covering  in  the  winter.  The  author  has  several  times 
slept  in  this  kind  of  bed;  and  to  a  person  unaccustomed  to  it, 
It  is  attended  not  unfrequently  with  danger  to  the  health.  The 
thick  covering  of  the  feathers  is  pretty  certain  to  produce  a 
profuse  perspiration,  which  an  exposure  to  cold,  on  rising  in  the 
morning,  is  apt  to  check  suddenly,  causing  chilliness  and  obsti- 
nate cough.  The  author,  a  few  years  ago,  caught  in  this  way 
the  most  severe  cold,  which  followed  by  a  long  and  distressing 
cough,  he  ever  was  afflicted  with. 

Many  of  the  Germans  have  what  they  call  a  drum,  through 
which  the  stove  pipe  passes  in  their  upper  rooms.  It  is  made 
of  sheet  iron,  something  in  the  shape  of  the  military  drum.  It 
soon  fills  with  heat  from  the  pipe,  by  which  the  rooms  become 
agreeably  warm  in  the  coldest  weather.  A  piazza  is  a  very 
common  appendage  to  a  Dutchman's  dwelling  house,  in  which 
his  saddles,  bridles,  and  very  frequently  his  wagon  or  plough 
harness,  are  hung  up.  The  Germans  erect  stables  for  their 
domestic  animals  of  every  species;  even  their  swine  are  housed 
in  the  winter  season.  Their  barns  and  stables  are  well  stored 
with  provender,  particularly  fine  hay,  hence  their  quadrupeds  of 


138  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

all  kinds  are  kept  throughout  the  year  in  the  finest  possible 
order.  The  practice  of  housing  stock  in  the  winter  season  Is 
unquestionably  great  economy  in  husbandry.  Much  less  food 
Is  required  to  sustain  them,  and  the  animals  come  out  in  the 
spring  in  fine  health  and  condition.  It  is  a  rare  occurrence  to 
hear  of  a  Dutchman's  losing  any  part  of  his  stock  with  poverty. 
The  practice  of  housing  stock  in  the  winter  is  not  exclusively 
a  German  custom,  but  is  common  to  most  of  the  nothern  people, 
and  those  descended  from  immigrants  from  the  North.  The 
author  recollects  once  seeing  the  cow-stalls  adjoining  a  farmer's 
dwelling. 

11.  Campbell,  formed  in  1784,  from  Bedford  and  named 
in  honor  of  General  William  Campbell,  an  officer  of  the  revo- 
lution. In  this  county  is  situated  Lynchburg,  named  after 
a  member  of  the  Lynch  family,  which  has  been  perpetuated 
in  the  well-known  Lynch  Law.     Howe  says : 

Colonel  Charles  Lynch,  a  brother  of  the  founder  of  Lynchburg, 
was  an  officer  of  the  American  revolution.  His  residence  was 
on  the  Staunton,  in  the  southwest  part  of  this  county,  now  the 
seat  of  his  grandson,  Charles  Henry  Lynch,  Esq.  At  that  time, 
this  country  was  very  thinly  settled,  and  infested  by  a  lawless 
band  of  tories  and  desperadoes.  The  necessity  of  the  case 
involved  desperate  measures,  and  Colonel  Lynch,  then  a  leading 
Whig,  apprehended  and  had  them  punished  without  any  super- 
flous  legal  ceremony.  Hence  the  origin  of  the  term  "  Lynch 
Law."  The  practice  of  lynching  continued  three  years  after  the 
war,  and  was  applied  to  many  cases  of  mere  suspicion  of  guilt, 
which  could  not  be  regularly  proven. 

It  was  at  old  Campbell  Court-house  that  the  celebrated 
case  of  John  Hook  was  tried.     According  to  Howe : 

Hook  was  a  Scotchman,  a  man  of  wealth,  and  suspected  of 
being  unfriendly  to  the  American  cause.  During  the  distresses 
of  the  American  army,  consequent  on  the  joint  invasion  of 
Cornwallis  and  Phillips  in  1781,  a  Mr.  Venable,  an  army  com- 
missary, had  taken  two  of  Hook's  steers  for  the  use  of  the  troops. 
The  act  had  not  been  strictly  legal;  and  on  the  establishment 
of  peace,  Hook,  on  the  advice  of  Mr.  Cowan,  a  gentleman  of 
some  distinction  in  the  law,  thought  proper  to  bring  an  action 
of  trespass  against  Mr.  Venable,  in  the  District  court  of  New 


THE    COMMONWEALTH    OP   VIRGINIA  139 

London.     Mr.   Henry  appeared   for   the  defendant,  and   is   said 
to  have  deported  himself  in  this  cause  to  the  infinite  enjoyment 
of  his  hearers,  the  unfortunate   Hook  always    excepted.     After 
Mr.  Henry  became  animated  in  the  cause,  says  a  correspondent, 
he  appeared  to  have  complete  control  over  the  passions  of  his 
audience;  at  one  time,  he  excited  their  indignation  against  Hook; 
vengeance   was   visible  in  every   countenance;    again,  when   he 
chose   to   relax,   and   ridicule  him,   the   whole   audience  was  in 
a  roar  of  laughter.     He  painted  the  distresses  of  the  American 
army,  exposed  almost  naked  to  the  rigor  of  a  winter's  sky,  and 
marking  the  frozen  ground  over  which  they  marched  with  the 
blood  of  their  unshod  feet;  where  was  the  man,  he  said,  who  had 
an  American  heart  in  his  bosom,  who  would  not  have  thrown 
open  his  fields,  his  bams,  his  cellars,  the  doors  of  his  house,  the 
portals   of  his   breast,   to   have   received   with   open   arms,    the 
meanest  soldier  in  that  little  band  of  famished  partiots?    Where 
is  the   man?     There  he   stands — but   whether  the  heart  of  an 
American   beats    in   his   bosom,   you,   gentlemen,   are   to  judge. 
He  then  carried  the  jury,  by  the  powers  of  his  imagination,  to 
the  plains  around  Yorktown,  the  surrender  of  which  had  followed 
shortly  after  the  act  complained  of:   he  depicted  the  surrender 
in    the    most  glowing   and    noble    colors    of  his    eloquence — the 
audience   saw  before  their  eyes  the  humiliation   and   dejection 
of  the  British,  as  they  marched  out  of  their  trenches — they  saw 
the  triumph  which  lighted  up  every  patriotic  face,  and  heard  the 
shouts  of  victory,  and  the  cry  of  Washington  and  liberty,  as  it 
rung  and  echoed  through  the  American  ranks,  and  was  reverbe- 
rated from  the  hills  and  shores  of  the  neighboring  river — "  but 
hark!  what  notes  of  discord  are  these  which  disturb  the  general 
joy,  and  silence  the  acclamations  of  victory — they  are  the  notes 
of  John   Hook,   hoarsely  bawling  through  the  American  camp, 
beef!    beef!    beef!  "     The   whole    audience   were    convulsed:    a 
particular  incident  will  give  a  better  idea  of  the  effect,  tban  any 
general  description.     The  clork  of  the  court,  unable  to  command 
himself  and  unwilling  to  commit  any  breach  of  decorum  in  his 
place,  rushed  out  of  the  court-house,  and  threw  himself  on  the 
grass,  in  the  most,  violent  paroxysm  of  laughter,  where  he  was 
rolling,  when  Hook,   with  very  different  feelings,  came  out  for 
relief   into  the   yard,   also.     "Jemmy    Steptoe,"  he   said   to   the 
clerk,   "what   the  devil  ails  yo,  inon?"     Mr.   Steptoe  was  only 
able  to  say,  that  he  could  not  help  it.     "Never  mind  ye,"  said 
Hook,  "wait  till  Billy  Cowan  gets  up:   he'll  show  him  the  la'." 


140  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Mr.  Cowan,  however,  was  bo  completely  overwhelmed  by  the 
torrent  which  bore  upon  his  client,  that  when  he  rose  to  reply  to 
Mr.  Henry,  he  was  scarcely  able  to  make  an  intelligible  or  audible 
remark.  The  cause  was  decided  almost  by  acclamation.  The 
jury  retired  for  form  sake,  and  instantly  returned  with  a  verdict 
for  the  defendant.  Nor  did  the  effect  of  Mr.  Henry's  speech 
stop  there.  The  people  were  so  highly  excited  by  the  tory 
audacity  of  such  a  suit,  that  Hook  began  to  hear  around  him  a 
cry  more  terrible  than  that  of  beef;  it  was  the  cry  of  tar  and 
feathers;  from  the  application  of  which,  it  is  said,  that  nothing 
saved  him  but  a  precipitate  flight  and  the  speed  of  his  horse. 

12.  Franklin,  formed  in  1784,  from  Bedford  and  Henry, 
and  named  after  Benjamin  Franklin. 

13.  Greenesville,  formed  in  1784,  from  Brunswick. 

14.  Harrison,  formed  in  1784,  from  Monongalia,  named 
after  Benjamin  Harrison,  Governor  of  Virginia. 

15.  Hardy,  formed  in  1786,  from  Hampshire,  named  after 
Samuel  Hardy. 

16.  Eussell,  formed  in  1786,  from  "Washington  Comity, 
named  after  General  William  Eussell. 

17.  Eandolph,  formed  in  1787,  from  Harrison,  and 
named  after  Edmund  Eandolph. 

18.  Nottoway,  formed  in  1788,  from  Amelia,  and  named 
after  the  Nottoway  tribe  of  Indians. 

19.  Pendleton,  formed  in  1788,  from  Augusta,  Hardy  and 
Eockingham,  and  named  from  Edmund  Pendleton. 

20.  Kanawha,  formed  in  1789,  from  Greenbrier  and 
Montgomery. 

21.  Matthews,  formed  in  1790,  from  Gloucester,  named 
in  honor  of  a  Virginia  revolutionary  officer,  afterwards  gov- 
ernor of  Georgia. 

22.  Wythe,  formed  in  1790,  from  Montgomery,  and 
named  after  George  Wythe. 

23.  Bath,  formed  in  1791,  from  Augusta,  Botetourt  and 
Greenbrier.  In  this  county  are  located  the  Warm  Springs 
and  Hot   Springs.     This  county  was  the  home  of  General 


THE    COMMONWEALTH   OF   VIRGINIA  141 

Samuel  Blackburn,  one  of  the  most  famous  orators  and  crim- 
inal lawyers  of  his  time  in  Virginia.     Of  him  Howe  wrote : 

He  was  the  father  of  the  anti-duelling  law  of  the  state,  which 
we  believe  was  the  first  passed  in  the  country  after  the  war  of 
the  revolution.  Among  other  penalties,  it  prohibited  anyone 
who  had  been  engaged  in  a  duel  from  holding  offices  of  trust 
in  the  gift  of  the  state.  Some  years  after,  a  gentleman  who  had 
challenged  another,  was  elected  to  the  legislature.  When  he 
came  forward  to  take  the  customary  oath,  his  violation  of  this 
law  was  urged  against  him.  Some,  however,  contended  that  the 
circumstances  of  the  case  were  so  aggravating  that  its  pro- 
visions ought  to  be  disregarded,  and  fears  were  entertained 
that  this  sentiment  might  prevail.  Then  it  was  that  General 
Blackburn,  who  was  a  member,  came  forward  with  a  speech  of 
great  power  in  opposition.  The  result  was  the  triumph  of  the 
law  in  the  rejection  of  the  member. 

24.  Patrick,  formed  in  1791,  from  Henry,  and  named 
after  Patrick  Henry. 

25.  Lee,  formed  in  1792,  from  Eussell,  named  after  Henry 
Lee,  governor  of  Virginia.  The  following  account  of  a  duel 
reported  in  a  newspaper  of  the  year  1823  is  given  by  Howe: 

A  remarkable  duel  took  place  in  Lee  County,  on  Sunday, 
December  7th,  which  has  been  the  subject  of  much  conversa- 
tion here Two  negro  men,  belonging  to  two  gentle- 
men, had  been  bitten  by  the  charms  of  a  sable  beauty,  and 
neither  being  willing  to  yield  to  the  other,  they  determined, 
like  gentlemen,  to  decide  their  pretentions  by  a  duel.  The  ar- 
rangement was  accordingly  made,  and  they  met  in  a  distant 
and  retired  wood,  unattended  by  seconds,  and  without  the 
knowledge  of  any  other  person — each  armed  with  a  trusty  rifle. 
Their  proceedings  appear  to  have  been  conducted  with  a  strict 
honor,  the  more  remarkable  in  such  case  as  it  was  exhibited  by 
slaves.  The  ground  was  measured  off  about  fifteen  paces;  the 
antagonists  took  their  posts;  the  word  was  given  by  one  of 
them,  and  both  instantly  fell — one  shot  through  the  heart,  and 
the  other  through  the  right  breast.  The  former  expired  im- 
mediately; the  latter,  with  great  difficulty  and  pain,  crawled  to 
a  small  path  not  far  from  the  scene  of  combat;  but  unable  to 
go  further,  he  remained  by  it,  in  the  hope  that  someone  would 


142  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

pass  and  find  him.  He  lay  tnere,  under  all  the  suffering  which 
his  wound  and  exposure  inflicted,  until  the  following  Tuesday, 
before  he  was  found.  Depressed  and  debased  as  that  unfortunate 
race  is,  there  are  occasional  instances  in  which  they  exhibit 
traits  of  character  which  elevate  them  above  the  sphere  to 
which  our  policy  compels  us  to  confine  them.  The  strict  ob- 
servance of  honorable  conduct,  and  the  cool  determined  courage 
of  these  negroes,  afford  an  example  which  ought  to  make  some 
gentlemen  of  high  condition  blush. 

26.  Madison,  formed  in  1792,  from.  Culpeper,  named  after 
President  Madison. 

27.  Grayson,  formed  in  1793,  from  Wythe,  and  named 
after  William  Grayson,  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Convention 
that  ratified  the  Federal  constitution. 

28.  Charlotte,  formed  in  1794,  from  Lunenburg,  named 
after  Princess  Charlotte.  Charlotte  was  the  residence  of 
Patrick  Henry  in  his  latter  days,  of  John  Kandolph  of 
Eoanoke,  and  of  Judge  Paul  Carrington.  Henry  lived  at  Red 
Hill  and  John  Randolph  at  Eoanoke. 

29.  Brooke,  formed  in  1797,  from  Ohio  county.  It  lies  in 
the  "  panhandle  "  of  what  is  now  West  Virginia.  It  was  in 
this  county  that  the  Eev.  Dr.  Alexander  Campbell  established 
Bethany  College  under  the  direction  of  the  Disciples  of 
Christ.  It  was  the  home  of  Philip  Doddridge,  who  was  the 
leader  of  the  western  element  of  the  Convention  of  1829-30. 

30.  Monroe,  formed  in  1799,  from  Greenbrier,  and  named 
after  President  Monroe. 

31.  Tazewell,  formed  in  1799,  from  Russell  and  Wythe, 
and  named  after  Senator  Henry  Tazewell. 

32.  Wood,  formed  in  1799,  from  Harrison,  and  named 
after  Governor  James  Wood,  of  Virginia. 

33.  Jefferson,  formed  in  1801,  from  Berkeley,  and 
named  after  Thomas  Jefferson.  In  this  county  is  situated 
Harper's  Ferry,  the  scene  of  John  Brown's  raid.  In  this 
county  was  also  the  home  of  Eumsey,  the  inventor  of  the  first 
steam-boat. 


THE    COMMONWEALTH    OF   VIRGINIA 


143 


34.  Mason,  formed  m  1804,  from  Kanawha,  and  named 
after  George  Mason.  In  this  county  is  situated  Point  Pleas- 
ant, famous  for  the  battle  with  the  Indians  under  Cornstalk. 

35.  Giles,  formed  in  1806,  from  Monroe  and  Tazewell,  and 
named  after  General  William  B.  Giles.  In  this  county  is 
the  celebrated  Salt  Pond. 

It  is  a  natural  beautiful  lake  of  pure  fresh  water,  on  the 
summit  of  the  Salt  Pond  mountain,  one  of  the  highest  spurs  of 
the  Alleghany.  This  pond  is  about  a  mile  long  and  one-third 
of  a  mile  wide.  At  its  termination  it  is  dammed  by  a  huge  pile 
of  rocks  over  which  it  runs,  but  which  once  passed  through  the 
fissures  only.  In  the  spring  and  summer  of  1804,  immense 
quantities  of  leaves  and  other  rubbish  washed  in  and  filled  up 
the  fissures,  since  which  it  has  risen  full  25  feet.  Previous  to 
that  time,  it  was  fed  by  a  fine,  large  spring  at  its  head;  then  that 
disappeared,  and  several  small  springs  now  flow  into  it  at  its 
upper  end.  When  first  known,  it  was  the  resort  of  vast  numbers 
of  elk,  buffalo,  deer,  and  other  wild  animals,  for  drink;  hence 
its  name  of  salt  pond.  It  has  no  taste  of  salt,  and  is  inhabited 
by  fine  trout. 

36.  Nelson,  formed  in  1807,  from  Amherst  and  named 
after  Governor  Thomas  Nelson. 

37.  Scott,  formed  in  1814,  from  Lee,  "Washington  and 
Russell,  and  named  after  General  Win  field  Scott. 

38.  Tyler,  formed  in  1814,  from  Ohio,  and  named  after 
John  Tyler,  Sr. 

3D.  Lewis,  formed  in  1816,  from  Harrison,  and  named 
after  Colonel  Charles  Lewis. 

40.  Nicholas,  formed  in  1818,  from  Kanawha,  Greenbrier 
and  Randolph,  and  named  after  Governor  Nicholas. 

41.  Preston,  formed  in  1818,  from  Monongalia,  and 
named  for  Governor  James  B.  Preston. 

42.  Morgan,  formed  in  1820,  from  Hampshire  and  Berke- 
ley, named  after  General  Daniel  Morgan. 

43.  Pocahontas,  formed  in  1821,  from  Bath,  Pendleton 
and  Randolph,  and  named  for  the  Indian  princess. 


144  v      LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

44.  Alleghany,  formed  in  1822,  from  Bath,  Botetourt 
and  Monroe.  The  county  is  named  for  the  mountains  which 
traverse  it.  During  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
this  was  a  wild  country,  frequently  traversed  by  Indians  and 
outlaws.  An  interesting  story  is  told  of  an  eccentric  female 
named  Ann  Bailey  who  lived  in  this  locality.     Howe  says : 

She  was  born  in  Liverpool,  and  had  been  the  wife  of  an 
English  soldier.  She  generally  went  by  the  cognomen  of  Mad 
Ann.  During  the  wars  with  the  Indians,  she  very  often  acted 
as  a  messenger,  and  conveyed  letters  from  the  fort,  at  Covington, 
to  Point  Pleasant.  On  these  occasions  she  was  mounted  on  a 
favorite  horse  of  great  sagacity,  and  rode  like  a  man,  with  a 
rifle  over  her  shoulder  and  a  tomahawk  and  a  butcher's  knife 
in  her  belt.  At  night  she  slept  in  the  woods.  Her  custom  was 
to  let  her  horse  go  free,  and  then  walk  some  distance  back  on 
his  trail,  to  escape  being  discovered  by  the  Indians.  After  the 
Indian  wars,  she  spent  some  time  in  hunting.  She  pursued  and 
shot  deer  and  bears  with  the  skill  of  a  backwoodsman.  She  was 
a  short,  stout  woman,  very  masculine  and  coarse  in  appearance, 
and  seldom  or  never  wore  a  gown,  but  usually  had  on  a  petti- 
coat, with  a  man's  coat  over  it,  and  buck-skin  breeches.  The 
services  she  rendered  in  the  wars  with  the  Indians  endeared 
her  to  the  people.  Mad  Ann  and  her  black  pony  Liverpool  were 
always  welcome  at  every  house.  Often  she  gathered  the  honest, 
simple-hearted  mountaineers  around  and  related  her  adventures 
and  trials,  while  the  sympathetic  tear  would  course  down  their 
cheeks.  She  was  profane,  often  became  intoxicated,  and  could 
box  with  the  skill  of  one  of  the  fancy.  Mad  Ann  possessed  con- 
siderable intelligence,  and  could  read  and  write.  She  died  in 
Ohio,  many  years  since. 

45.  Logan,  formed  in  1824,  from  Giles,  Kanawha,  Cabell 
and  Tazewell,  and  named  after  the  Indian  chief. 

46.  Fayette,  formed  in  1831,  from  Logan,  Greenbrier, 
Nicholas  and  Kanawha. 

47.  Floyd,  formed  in  1831,  from  Montgomery,  named 
after  John  Floyd,  governor  of  Virginia. 

48.  Page,  formed  in  1831,  from  Rockingham  and  Shenan- 
doah, and  named  after  Governor  John  Page.     In  this  county 


THE    COililO^" WEALTH   OE   VIRGINIA  145 

is   situated  ~the~celebrated~Liiray    Cave,    that    attracts    the 
admiration  of  visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

49.  Bappahannock,  formed  in  1831,  from  Culpeper,  and 
named  after  the  river. 

50.  Smyth,  formed  in  1831,  from  Washington  and  Wythe, 
and  named  after  General  Alexander  Smyth,  an  officer  of  tbo 
War  of  1812. 

51.  Marshall,  formed  in  1835,  from  Ohio  County,  and 
named  after  Chief  Justice  Marshall. 

52.  Braxton,  formed  in  1836,  from  Lewis,  Kanawha  and 
Nicholas,  and  named  after  Carter  Braxton,  one  of  the  signers 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  from  Virginia. 

53.  Clarke,  formed  in  1836,  from  Frederick,  and  named 
after  George  Rogers  Clark.  In  this  county  lived  General 
Daniel  Morgan,  at  "  Soldiers'  Best "  only  a  few  miles  from 
Berryville.  Morgan  subsequently  built  another,  a  beautiful 
seat,  in  this  county,  which  he  very  appropriately  named  Sara- 
toga. It  was  erected  by  Hessians  taken  prisoners  at  Saratoga. 
According  to  Howe: 

About  200  yards  from  Soldiers'  Rest  stands  an  old  log  hut, 
which  well  authenticated  tradition  states  was  occupied  by 
Washington  while  surveying  land  in  this  region  for  Lord  Pair- 
fax.  It  is  about  twelve  feet  square,  and  is  divided  into  two 
rooms;  one  in  the  upper,  and  the  other  in  the  lower  story. 
The  lower  apartment  was  then,  and  is  now,  used  as  a  milk- 
room.  A  beautiful  spring  gushes  up  from  the  rocks  by  the  house 
and  flows  in  a  clear,  crystal  stream,  under  the  building,  answer- 
ing admirably  the  purpose  to  which  it  is  applied,  in  cooling 
this  apartment.  Many  years  since,  both  the  spring  and  the 
building  were  protected  from  the  heat  of  the  summer's  sun  by 
a  dense  copse  of  trees.  The  upper,  or  attic  room,  which  is 
about  twelve  feet  square,  was  occupied  by  Washington  as  a  place 
of  deposite  for  his  surveying  instruments,  and  as  a  lodging — 
how  long,  though,  is  not  known.  The  room  was  lathed  and 
plastered.  A  window  was  at  one  end,  and  a  door— up  to  which 
led  a  rough  flight  of  steps— at  the  other.  This  rude  hut  is, 
perhaps,  the  most  Interesting  reVc  of  that  great  and  good  man, 
who  became  "  first  in  the  heartr  of  his  countrymen." 

10 


14G  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

In  this  county  also  was  Greenway  Court,  the  seat  of  Lord 
Fairfax.     Howe  says: 

His  lordship  lived  and  died  in  a  single  story  and  a  half-house, 
which  stood  just  in  front  of  the  modern  brick  dwelling  of  Mr. 
Kennerly,  and  was  destroyed  in  1834.  There  are  now  several 
of  the  original  buildings  standing  at  the  place;  among  them  is 
a  small  limestone  structure,  where  quit-rents  were  given  and 
titles  drawn  of  his  lordship's  domains.  Fairfax  had,  probably, 
150  negro  servants,  who  lived  in  log  huts  scattered  about  in  the 
woods.  A  few  years  since,  in  excavating  the  ground  near  the 
house,  the  servants  of  Mr.  Kennerly  discovered  a  large  quantity 
of  joes  and  half-joes  amounting  to  about  $250.00;  they  were  what 
is  termed  cob-coin,  of  a  square  form,  and  dated  about  1730. 
They  were  supposed  to  have  been  secreted  there  by  Lord  Fair- 
fax. Under  a  shelving  rock,  nine  feet  from  the  surface,  there 
was  also  found  a  human  skeleton  of  gigantic  statue;  supposed 
to  be  that  of  an  Indian.  When  Lord  Dunmore  went  on  his 
expedition  against  the  Indians  in  1774,  he  came  on  as  far  as 
this  place  with  a  portion  of  his  troops,  and  waited  here  about 
a  fortnight  for  reinforcements.  His  soldiers  encamped  in  what 
was  then  a  grove — now  a  meadow — about  three  hundred  yards 
north  of  Mr.  Kennedy's  present  residence.  The  spot  is  indi- 
cated by  a  deep  well,  supposed  to  have  been  dug  by  them;  an 
old  magazine,  destroyed  in  1843,  stood  near  the  well.  Washing- 
ton, when  recruiting  at  Winchester,  often  visited  this  place. 
Lord  Fairfax  had  but  little  cultivated  ground  around  his  prem- 
ises, and  that  was  in  small  patches  without  taste  or  design. 
The  land  was  left  for  a  park,  and  he  lived  almost  wholly  from 
his  rents.  The  following,  as  well  as  much  of  the  foregoing, 
respecting  him,  is  traditionary:  His  lordship  was  a  dark, 
swarthy  man,  several  inches  over  six  feet  in  height,  and  of  a 
gigantic  frame  and  personal  strength.  He  lived  the  life  of  a 
batchelor,  and  fared  coarse,  adopting  in  that  respect  the  rough 
customs  of  the  people  among  whom  he  was.  When  in  the 
humour,  he  was  generous — giving  away  whole  farms  to  his 
tenants  and  simply  demanding  for  rent  some  trifle — for  instance, 
a  present  of  a  turkey  for  his  Christmas  dinner. 

54.  "Warren,  formed  in  1836,  from  Frederick  and  Shenan- 
doah, and  named  after  General  Warren. 

55.  Mercer,  formed  in  1837,  from  Giles  and  Tazewell,  and 
named  after  General  Hugh' Mercer. 


THE   COMMONWEALTH    OF   VIRGINIA 


147 


56.  Greene,  formed  in  1838,  from  the  western  part  of 
Orange,  and  named  after  General  Nathaniel  Greene. 

57.  Eoanoke,  formed  in  1838,  from  Botetourt.  The 
name  is  probably  derived  from  an  Indian  word,  meaning  shell- 
money. 

58.  Pulaski,  formed  in  1839,  from  Montgomery  and 
Wythe,  and  named  after  Count  Pulaski. 

59.  Carrol,  formed  in  1842,  from  Grayson,  named  after 
George  Carrol,  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Grayson. 

60.  Marion,  formed  in  1842,  from  Harrison  and  Monon- 
galia, and  named  after  General  Francis  Marion. 

61.  Wayne,  formed  in  1842,  from  Cabell  County,  and 
named  after  General  Anthony  Wayne. 

62.  Barsour,  formed  in  1843,  from  Harrison,  Lewis  and 
Eandolph,  and  named  after  Philip  and  James  Barbour. 

63.  Eitchie,  formed  in  1843,  from  Harrison,  Lewis  and 
Wood,  and  named  after  the  well-known  editor,  Thomas 
Eitchie. 

64.  Taylor,  formed  in  1844,  from  Harrison,  Barbour  and 
Marion,  and  named  after  John  Taylor,  of  Caroline. 

65.  Alexandria,  formed  in  1846,  from  that  part  of  the  dis- 
trict of  Columbia  which  was  given  by  Virginia  to  the  National 
Government,  and  afterwards  returned  to  the  State. 

66.  Highland,  formed  in  1847,  from  Bath  and  Pendleton. 
f>7.  Craig,  formed  in  1850,  from  Botetourt,  Eoanolre,  and 

Giles. 

68.  Wise,  formed  in  1846,  from  Russell,  Scott,  and  Lee. 

09,  Buchanan,  formed  in  1858,  from  Russell  and  Taze- 
well. 

70.  Bland,  formed  in  1860,  from  Wythe,  Giles,  and  Taze- 
well. 

The  preceding  account  of  the  formation  of  the  counties  of 
Virginia  shows  that  the  State  was  growing  toward  the  west. 
Of  the  seventy  counties  herein  named,  twenty-nine  are  no 
part  of  West  Virginia.     Virginia  has  to-day  100  conn! 


CHAPTEE  XIV 
The  Negro  Slave  in  Virginia. 


The  want  of  laoor  to  help  fell  the  forests,  and  to  clear  and 
cultivate  fields  for  the  needed  harvests  were  perplexing  and 
vital  questions  in  the  17th  century  with  the  new  colony.  In- 
dented white  men,  boys,  and  girls  were  shipped  from  Eng- 
land for  this  purpose.  This  help  was  but  temporary  as  the 
indented  service  was  limited  to  a  few  years  at  most,  and  at  its 
expiration  this  imported  labor  was  given  a  certain  number  of 
acres  of  land  for  their  own  use,  and  thus  they  became  masters, 
and  would  be  hirers  themselves,  thereby  adding  to  the  per- 
plexity of  the  question  which  their  original  introduction  into 
Virginia  was  intended  to  settle. 

The  negro  reached  Virginia  nearly  as  soon  as  the  white 
man.  In  April,  1607,  the  first  colony  landed  there,  and  in 
August,  1619,  the  negro  followed.  About  two  months  before 
this  first  cargo  of  slaves  reached  Jamestown,  the  people  of  the 
colony  were  granted  the  right  of  suffrage,  for  the  first  time  in 
the  new  world,  through  the  election  of  a  House  of  Burgesses. 
Thus  did  "the  Fates  decree,"  that  while  the  white  man  in 
Virginia,  was  enjoying  his  first  rights  there  as  a  freeman,  the 
negro,  as  a  slave,  was  offered  him,  and  accepted  as  a  God- 
send. Whether  the  introduction  of  slavery  was  a  God-send 
to  Virginia  has  long  been  a  mooted  question. 

This  first  cargo  of  negro  slaves  to  reach  Virginia  was 
pirated  from  the  Spanish  West  Indies  by  a  "  Dutch  Man  o* 
War,"  so  called.  It  is  stated  that  this  "  Man  of  War  "  was  a 
pirate  ship — a  class  of  vessels  common  in  those  years — 
manned  in  part  by  Englishmen,  and  that  Capt.  Samuel 
Argall,  Lieut.-Governor  of  Virginia  from  1617  to  1619,  was 

[148] 


THE    NEGRO    SLAVE   IN   VIRGINIA  149 

largely  interested  in  this  adventure  of  shipping  slaves  to  Vir- 
ginia. 

At  the  period  of  the  introduction  of  slavery  into  Virginia 
the  colony  was  confined  mainly  to  small  settlements  along  the 
banks  of  the  James  Kiver.  The  negro  helped  to  fell  the 
primeval  forests  to  make  way  for  fields  of  tobacco  and  golden 
headed  grain.  He  hewed  out  the  highways  for  his  master's 
vehicle  through  the  dense  woods,  and  shared  with  him  the 
dangers  and  privations  of  the  early  life  in  the  wilderness,  and 
accepted  the  ill  luck,  or  the  good  luck  which  came  to  the 
pioneer,  and  was  generally  fairly  treated  in  all  things  but  his 
freedom.  In  fact  his  lot  was  frequently  a  happier  one  than 
that  of  many  of  the  white  indented  servants  in  whom  their 
masters  had  no  pecuniary  interest  beyond  the  cost  of  their 
transportation  to  the  colony.  Very  many  of  these  were 
forced  to  harder  tasks  than  befell  the  slave. 

Slavery,  even  of  the  white  race,  was  in  existence  from  the 
earliest  days  of  history.  "  Joseph,"  whose  coat  of  many 
colors  excited  the  envy  of  his  brethren,  was  sold  by  them  to 
the  traders  who  trafficked  in  human  flesh,  as  well  as  in  the 
other  commodities  demanded  in  that  day.  Later  we  read  of 
the  Egyptian  taskmasters  under  whom  the  Israelites — the 
chosen  people  of  God — worked  at  hard  tasks,  made  the  more 
severe  by  reason  of  the  prejudice  and  jealousy  of  the  task 
master  against  that  race.  Later  history  records  the  slavery 
of  prisoners  captured  in  the  wars  of  all  nations.  In  those 
ages  color  of  the  skin  was  no  bar  to  slavery. 

Tidewater  Virginia  was  virtually  the  slave's  paradise.  The 
largest  farms,  and  consequently  the  largest  owners  of  slaves 
were  usually  located  in  the  river  bottom  lands,  or  convenient 
to  the  affluent  streams  which  loci  into  the  larger  navigable 
waters.  As  nearly  all  these  streams  were  abundantly  supplied 
with  oysters,  and  fish  of  every  variety,  the  thrifty  were  enabled 
to  add  to  their  allowance  from  "the  store  house  of  nature." 


150  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

The  early  riser  could  have  his  fish  for  breakfast  fresh  from 
his  own  net.  In  the  fall  and  winter,  he  might  have  wild 
fowl,  and  he  could  find  small  game  in  the  dense  timbered 
lands,  which  afforded  a  dietary  change  as  well  as  amusement. 
Added  to  these  was  the  regular  ration  of  meal  and  meat,  and 
the  products  of  a  "  garden  patch  "  which  all  were  allowed  to 
cultivate  for  their  own  benefit.  The  farmers  who  were  more 
remote  from  the  navigable  streams  were  the  owners  of  smaller 
tracts  of  land,  and  fewer  servants.  The  servants  of  these 
farmers  generally  fared  quite  as  well  as  their  owners,  and  in 
the  absence  of  their  masters  were  in  full  control  of  their  busi- 
ness. In  the  writer's  experience  of  more  than  twenty-five 
years'  travel  through  the  several  counties  of  Tidewater  Vir- 
ginia, he  has  never  heard  a  complaint  from  the  former  slaves 
of  ill  treatment  at  the  hands  of  their  former  owners.  On  the 
contrary  all  references  to  their  former  master  and  mistress 
were  affectionate,  and  to  their  great  credit. 

The  owners  of  slaves  never  referred  to  them  other  than  as 
"  servants."  The  master's  residence  was  called  by  the 
negroes  the  "  Great  House,"  without  regard  to  its  size.  The 
young  "  white  folks  "  were  always  welcomed  in  their  visits  to 
the  "  negro  quarters "  and  were  especial  favorites  with  the 
"  Black  Mammys,"  whom  they  were  taught  to  respect  and  to 
give  evidence  of  their  appreciation  of  courtesies  received  at 
their  hands. 

A  "  Black  Mammy  "  was  one  of  the  servants  reared  within 
the  "  Great  House,"  beginning  service  as  a  child,  and  servant 
to  some  one  of  the  children  of  her  owner.  It  was  frequently 
the  case  that  she  was  provided  with  a  bed  within  the  same 
room  wherein  slept  her  child  mistress  or  master. 

There  were  no  secrets  of  the  family  with  which  this  de- 
scendant of  Ham  was  not  conversant,  and  few  of  those  to 
whom  these  secrets  were  known  kept  them  more  inviolable. 
As  she  grew  in  years  she  was  burdened  with  the  care  of  the 
white  children,  often  to  the  extent  of  nursing  them  from  the 


THE    NEGRO    SLAVE   IN    VIRGINIA  151 

milk  of  her  own  breast.  She  loved  her  "  HI  chillun "  and 
they  loved  her,  and  why  should  they  not  love  one  another 
when  their  lives  were  thus  so  closely  combined. 

The  Black  Mammy  was  fond  of  the  recital  of  the  tradi- 
tions of  her  owners  and  a  zealous  defender  of  their  family 
honor. 

Slavery  in  Virginia  differed  greatly  from  that  of  the  cotton 
States.  In  many  instances  in  those  States  the  owners  had 
little  or  no  intercourse  or  acquaintance  with  their  slaves. 
They  were  in  such  instances  managed  and  worked  by  overseers 
who  lived  upon  the  plantation,  and  had  supreme  control,  and 
it  depended  upon  the  humanity  of  such  overseers  as  to  how 
the  servants  were  treated. 

In  Virginia  the  owner  of  less  than  half  a  dozen  male  ser- 
vants usually  worked  with  them  at  their  several  tasks  in  the 
field,  or  forest,  or  in  the  rivers.  Those  who  owned  a  greater 
number  of  servants,  and  themselves  pursued  some  occupation, 
as  county  officer,  or  the  profession  of  law,  or  medicine,  or 
other  business  undertaking  which  occupied  their  time,  usually 
hired  an  overseer,  more  as  an  aid  than  a  supreme  controller 
of  their  servants.  In  many  instances  the  place  of  white  over- 
seers was  filled  by  a  "  head  man,"  who  was  himself  one  of  the 
servants. 

Those  who  had  more  servants  than  were  needed  frequently 
hired  them  out.  In  that  event  the  servants  were  usually  per- ' 
mitted  to  seek  their  employers.  If  a  servant  disliked  his 
former  employer,  and  made  known  his  displeasure  to  bis 
master,  he  was  permitted  to  seek  service  elsewhere.  It  was 
difficult  for  any  hirer  of  servants  who  had  incurred  their  ill 
will  to  again  hire  one.  "Hiring  time"  was  usually  during 
the  Christmas  holidays.  All  hired  servants  returned  to  their 
owner's  homes  during  the  Christmas  holidays,  where  feasting, 
frolicking  and  dancing  was  the  custom.  The  negro  was  a 
great  f rolickcr  durin  ry.     Female  servants  often  helped 


152  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

in  the  field  at  such  labors  as  plowing  corn,  binding  grain, 
pulling  fodder  and  shucking  corn. 

It  was  the  custom  of  many  negroes  to  wrap  their  hair  in 
little  knots  with  strings  of  various  colors.  This  custom  was 
more  frequently  followed  by  the  young  female  servants;  it 
was  usually  a  Sunday  job  to  "  look  the  hair  over,"  and  wrap 
it.  This  custom  was  based  upon  the  belief  that  it  would  in- 
duce the  hair  to  grow  straight,  and  for  this  purpose  they 
would  stretch  the  lock  until  the  scalp  rose  with  it,  and  then 
wrap  each  lock  of  hair  so  tight,  and  cover  it  so  thickly  with 
cord  that  it  stood  aloft  like  the  quills  upon  an  angry  porcu- 
pine, and  lead  one  to  wonder  how  the  wearer  could  shut  her 
eyes  without  jerking  the  hair  from  its  scalp  by  the  roots. 

The  matrons  of  the  homes  were  the  angels  of  the  house- 
holds in  Old  Virginia.  They  watched  over  all,  nursed,  ad- 
vised and  comforted  both  black  and  white.  The  "Missus" 
was  profoundly  respected  by  the  servants  and  worshipped  by 
the  white  members  of  the  family.  Nowhere  in  the  world 
were  women  shown  more  respect  and  courtesy  than  in  Vir- 
ginia. Their  soft,  gentle  voices  and  their  easy,  graceful,  and 
courteous  manners  forbade  that  none  other  than  the  best  of 
treatment  should  be  accorded  them. 

Because  of  the  numerous  servants  subject  to  their  call  they 
were  exempt  from  the  menial  duties  of  life.  Their  duty  was 
to  manage  the  household  and  cultivate  their  minds  and  man- 
ners. 

The  negro  of  Virginia  took  his  captivity  lightly.  He  is  by 
nature  endowed  with  a  happy  disposition.  His  laugh  is 
hearty,  extending  over  his  whole  face,  and  is  so  surely  con- 
tagious that  it  would  crack  the  skin  of  a  hypochondriac  who 
dared  to  venture  within  its  bounds.  Like  their  masters  they 
had  no  use  for  "  an  or'nary  white  man,"  and  were  apprecia- 
tive of  favors  and  courtesies.  The  negro  has  two  prominent, 
commendable  traits,  a  short  memory  for  a  wrong,  and  a  quick- 
ness to  be  gratified  to  his  joy. 


THE   NEGEO   SLAVE  IN  VIRGINIA  153 

Greed  of  riches  forces  men  to  commit  crimes  and  outrages 
against  humanity,  and  the  greater  the  sum  of  wealth  involved 
the  greater  becomes  the  outrages  in  its  seeking.  Perhaps 
when  the  Tidewater  Virginian  acquires  the  greed  of  riches  he 
may  commit  its  consequent  crimes  to  accomplish  his  end. 
Had  these  owners  worked  their  servants  as  laborers  are 
worked  in  many  of  the  densely  populated  cities  of  the  world 
they  would  have  heaped  up  riches.  On  the  contrary,  these 
people  led  a  life  of  ease  and  comfort  in  which  their  servants 
participated.  The  tasks  of  the  servants  were  usually  light; 
the  chopping  of  four  or  five  cords  of  wood  was  a  whole  week's 
task.  Poverty  and  want,  such  as  is  frequently  the  experience 
of  the  white  laborer  in  sweat  shop,  or  factory,  was  never 
known  in  tidewater  by  the  master  or  slave.  There  were  no 
profligate  expenditures  for  gaudy  show,  neither  was  there 
miserly,  grovelling  poverty.  There  were  no  care-worn  wrinkles 
in  the  faces  of  the  master,  or  his  servant,  induced  by  poverty's 
unrelenting  laws.  These  people  were  not  very  rich,  neither 
were  they  very  poor.  The  following  is  an  interesting  account 
of  the  conditions  existing  between  the  master  and  his  slave 
written  more  than  twenty  years  prior  to  the  Civil  "War. 

"  Slaves  not  allowed  to  keep  or  carry  military  weapons. 
Not  allowed  to  leave  home  without  written  permission.  Not 
to  assemble  at  any  meeting  house  or  other  places  in  the  night, 
under  pretence  of  religious  worship — nor  at  any  school  for  the 
purpose  of  being  taught  to  read  or  write — nor  to  trade  and  go 
at  large  as  freedmen — nor  to  hire  themselves  out — nor  to 
preach  or  exhort.  Some  of' the  penalties  for  a  violation  of 
these  laws  are  imposed  upon  the  master,  for  permitting  his 
slave  to  do  certain  acts;  in  other  cases,  the  slave  is  liable  to  be 
taken  before  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  punished  by  stripes, 
never  exceeding  thirty-nine.  Slaves  emancipated  by  their 
master,  are  directed  to  leave  the  State  within  twelve  months 
from  the  date  of  emancipation.     These  and  every  other  law 


154  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

having  the  appearance  of  rigor  towards  the  slaves  are  nearly 
dead  letters  upon  the  statute  book  unless  during  times  of  ex- 
citement. It  is  rare  to  witness  the  trial  of  a  slave  for  any 
except  very  serious  crimes.  There  are  many  offences  com- 
mitted by  them,  for  which  a  freeman  would  be  sent  to  the 
penitentiary,  that  are  not  noticed,  or  punished  by  a  few 
stripes  under  the  direction  of  the  master.  When  tried  for  a 
crime,  it  is  before  a  court  of  at  least  five  magistrates,  who 
must  be  unanimous  to  convict.  They  are  not  entitled  to  a 
trial  by  jury,  but  it  is  acknowledged  on  all  hands  that  this  is 
a  benefit,  and  not  a  disadvantage.  Slaves  may  be  taught, 
and  many  of  them  are  taught  in  their  owner's  family.  They 
are  allowed  to  attend  religious  worship,  conducted  by  a  white 
minister,  and  to  receive  from  them  religious  instruction.  In 
point  of  fact,  they  go  where  they  please  on  Sundays,  and  at 
all  times  when  they  are  not  engaged  in  labor. 

"  The  rights  and  duties  of  slaves,  as  a  distinct  class,  are 
not  defined  by  law.  They  depend  upon  usage  or  custom, 
which  controls  the  will  of  the  master.  Thus,  the  law  does 
not  recognize  their  right  to  hold  property,  but  no  instance  is 
known  of  the  masters  interfering  with  their  little  acquisi- 
tions ;  and  it  often  happens,  that  they  are  considerable  enough 
to  purchase  themselves  and  family.  In  such  cases  I  have  never 
known  the  master  to  exact  from  the  slave  the  full  price  that 
he  might  have  obtained  from  others.  In  the  same  manner, 
the  quantity  and  quality  of  food  and  clothing,  the  hours  of 
labor  and  rest,  the  holidays,  the  privileges,  &c,  of  the  slave, 
are  regulated  by  custom,  to  depart  materially  from  which 
would  disgrace  the  master  in  public  opinion. 

"  The  intercourse  between  the  master  and  slave  is  kind,  re- 
spectful and  approaching  to  intimacy.  It  must  be  recol- 
lected that  they  have  been  brought  up  together,  and  often 
form  attachments  that  are  never  broken.  The  servants  about 
the  house  are  treated  rather  as  humble  friends  than  otherwise. 


THE  NEGRO  SLAVE  IX  VIRGINIA  155 

Those  employed  differently  have  less  intercourse  with  the 
white  family;  but,  when  they  meet,  there  is  a  civil,  and  often 
cordial  greeting  on  both  sides.  The  slaves  generally  look 
upon  their  masters  and  mistresses  as  their  protectors  and 
friends.  The  slave  of  a  gentleman  universally  considers  him- 
self a  superior  being  to  *  poor  white  folks.'  They  take  pride 
in  their  master's  prosperity;  identify  his  interest  with  their 
own;  frequently  assume  his  name;  and  even  his  title;  and 
speak  of  his  farm,  his  crops,  and  other  possessions  as  their 
own. 

"  In  their  nature  the  slaves  are  generally  affectionate ;  and 
particularly  so  to  the  children  of  the  family,  which  lays  the 
foundations  of  the  attachments  spoken  of,  continuing  through 
life.  The  white  children — if  they  had  the  desire — are  not 
permitted  to  tyrannize  over  the  slaves,  young  or  old.  The 
children  play  together  on  terms  of  great  equality,  and  if  the 
white  child  gives  a  blow,  he  is  apt  to  have  it  returned  with 
interest.  At  the  tables  you  will  find  the  white  children  rising 
from  them,  with  their  little  hands  full  of  the  best  of  every- 
thing to  carry  to  their  nurses  or  playmates,  and  I  have  often 
known  them  to  deny  themselves  for  the  sake  of  their  favorites. 
These  propensities  are  encouraged,  and  everything  like 
violence  or  tyranny  strictly  prohibited.  The  consequence  is 
that  when  the  young  master  (or  mistress)  is  installed  into 
his  full  rights  of  property,  he  finds  around  him  no  alien  hire- 
lings, ready  to  quit  his  service  upon  the  slightest  provocation, 
but  attached  and  faithful  friends,  known  to  him  from  his 
infancy,  and  willing  to  share  his  fortunes,  wherever  they  may 
y  him. 

"  The  old  gray  headed  servants  are  addressed  by  almost 
every  member  of  the  white  family  as  '  uncles '  and  '  aunts.' 
The  others  are  treated  with  as  much  respectful  familiarity  as  if 
they  were  white  laborers.  They  never  hesitate  to  apply  to 
their  masters  or  ses  in  every  difficulty.     If  they  have 


156  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

any  want  they  expect  to  be  relieved.  If  they  are  maltreated 
they  ask  redress  at  their  hands.  Injury  to  the  slave  from  any 
quarter,  is  regarded  as  an  injury  to  the  master. 

"  When  the  slave  is  not  at  work  he  is  under  no  restrictions 
or  surveillance.  He  goes  where  he  pleases  and  seldom  asks 
for  a  pass.  If  he  is  on  the  farm  at  the  appointed  hours  no 
inquiry  is  made  how  he  has  employed  the  interval.  The 
regular  holidays  are  two  at  Easter,  two  at  Whitsuntide,  and  a 
week  at  Christmas.  These  he  enjoys  by  prescription,  and 
others,  such  as  Saturday  evenings,  by  the  indulgence  of  his 
master.-  The  time  is  generally  spent  visiting  from  house  to 
house  and  in  various  amusements.  His  favorite  one  is  play- 
ing the  fiddle,  the  jews  harp,  and  dancing,  and  wrestling  and 
cracking  the  bones.  They  have  no  anxiety  about  their  fami- 
lies or  the  failure  of  crops,  or  the  horrors  of  debt.  Those  who 
are  provident  employ  their  liberty  hours  in  working  for  them- 
selves or  others  who  may  need  their  services.  Near  their 
cabins  (quarters)  they  have  ground  allotted  for  their  gardens 
and  patch  of  corn.  They  are  allowed  to  raise  a  hog  and 
fowls.  The  latter  they  sell  to  their  masters  or  others.  They 
make  brooms,  baskets  and  flag  chairs,  corn  shuck  collars  and 
corn  shuck  door  mats,  etc.,  which  they  sell  for  their  own  pur- 
poses. Provision  was  made  for  those  who  were  too  young  or 
too  old  to  labor.  Their  allowance  of  clothing  was  generally 
a  hat,  blanket,  2  suits  clothes,  3  shirts  or  shifts,  and  2  pair 
shoes  a  year.  The  winter  suit  is  of  strong  linsey  cloth,  the 
summer,  of  linen  for  the  men,  and  striped  cotton  for  the 
women.  The  children  have  linsey  and  cotton  garments,  but 
no  shoes  or  hat  until  they  are  10  or  11  years  old,  and  begin 
doing  something. 

"  On  large  farms  the  doctor  for  the  slaves  was  paid  by  the 
year.  When  sick  they  are  nursed  by  the  white  family,  and 
whatever  is  necessary  they  are  supplied  with.  The  moral 
sense  of  the  community  would  not  tolerate  cruelty  in  a  master. 
I  know  of  nothing  that  would  bring  him  more  surely  into  dis- 
grace. 


THE   NEGKO   SLAVE  IN  VIRGINIA  157 

"  Negro  traders  are  despised  by  the  master  and  detested  by 
the  slaves.  Their  trade  is  supported  by  the  misfortune  of 
the  master,  and  the  crimes  or  misconduct  of  the  slaves,  and 
not  by  the  will  of  either  party  except  in  few  instances.  Mas- 
ters will  not  part  with  their  slaves  but  from  sheer  necessity, 
or  for  flagrant  delinquencies,  which  in  other  countries  would 
be  punished  by  severity.  Thousands  retain  them  when  they 
know  full  well  that  their  pecuniary  condition  would  be 
greatly  improved  by  selling,  or  even  giving  them  away. 
Sometimes  a  slave,  after  committing  a  theft  or  other  crime, 
will  abscond  for  fear  of  detection.  If  caught  he  is  generally 
sold  for  the  sake  of  the  example  to  other  slaves.  From  these 
sources  the  negro  buyers  are  supplied,  but  it  does  not  happen 
in  one  case  out  of  a  thousand  that  the  master  willingly  sells 
an  honest  faithful  slave.  The  man  doing  so  would  be  looked 
upon  as  a  sordid,  inhuman  wretch,  and  be  shunned  by  his 
neighbors  and  countrymen  of  respectable  standing.  Not- 
withstanding the  law  to  the  contrary  thousands  of  emanci- 
pated slaves  remain  in  the  State  incurring  the  risk  of  being 
sold  as  slaves." 

Prior  to  the  Civil  War  there  was  no  migration  of  the  free 
negro  race  to  any  of  the  Southern  States.  It  is  therefore  to 
be  presumed  that  all  the  free  colored  residents  in  Virginia  at 
the  period  of  the  Civil  "War  were  manumitted  slaves  or  their 
descendants,  who  were  permitted  to  remain,  notwithstanding 
laws  to  the  contrary.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  all  the  slaves  who 
were  manumitted — except  the  very  few  who  purchased  them- 
selves— were  granted  their  freedom  through  motives  of 
humanity,  and  not  through  economy,  as  there  was  always  a 
ready  market  for  them.  Many  a  master  in  Tidewater  Vir- 
ginia was  deeply  concerned  as  to  what  would  become  of  his 
servants  after  his  demise,  and  it  is  said  of  them  that  they 
would  have  provided  for  manumission  but  for  the  fact  that 
they  feared  the  freed  servants  could  not  provide  for  them- 
selves. 


158  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

The  Virginia  servants  were  the  most  intelligent  of  their 
race  who  were  in  bondage  in  America.  This  was  owing 
largely  to  the  fact  that  they  had  greater  opportunity  to  mingle 
with  the  whites  than  had  the  servants  of  the  Cotton  States, 
many  of  whoni  rarely  ever  saw  a  white  man  other  than  the 
ignorant  overseer.  Many  of  them  were  permitted  to  follow 
their  young  master  in  the  hunt,  and  were  with  him  in  many 
of  his  other  frolics.  Many  instances  are  recorded  in  which 
the  servants  followed  their  masters  into  the  Confederate 
Army,  and  continued  to  render  faithful  and  constant  service, 
and  share  the  dangers  and  privations  incident  to  army  life 
until  the  war  closed,  or  their  beloved  master's  body  was  laid 
in  the  grave.  The  great  diversity  of  their  labors  in  the  field, 
the  forest,  and  the  waters  was  of  much  advantage  in  the  train- 
ing of  their  minds  and  muscles.  They  were  handy  as  plow- 
men, axemen,  and  sailors,  and  many  were  skilled  enough  to 
perform  the  several  mechanical  labors  needed  on  the  planta- 
tion. 

Because  of  these  qualities  the  "  negro  traders  "  valued  him 
highly,  and  if  opportunity  offered  would  give  the  highest 
market  price  for  "  the  servant  raised  in  Tidewater  Virginia."' 

The  price  of  the  average  slave  was  from  $1,200  to  $1,500. 
There  was  but  one  serious  uprising  of  the  negro  slaves  in  Vir- 
ginia, excepting  the  endeavor  of  John  Brown  to  free 
the  slaves,  known  in  history  as  the  "  John  Brown  Eaid," 
which  occurred  in  1859,  during  the  period  in  which  the 
famous  Henry  A.  Wise  was  Governor  of  the  State.  This  in- 
surrection was  suppressed  by  him,  and  is  a  matter  of  history 
too  well  known  to  repeat  here. 

In  1831,  Nat  Turner,  a  negro  slave  of  Southampton 
County,  Virginia,  together  with  his  brother,  rallied  many 
negro  slaves  in  a  band,  who  with  stolen  firearms  and  clubs, 
murdered  several  whole  families,  men,  women  and  children, 
before  they  were  apprehended  by  the  State  militia  and  citi- 


THE    NEGRO    SLAVE   IN   VIRGINIA  159 

zens.  Nat  Turner  was  a  favorite  servant,  well  treated,  and 
trusted  by  his  master,  and  therefore  had  no  personal  cause 
for  his  evil  work  except  that  of  obtaining  his  freedom.  It 
was  said  he  was  induced  to  the  insurrection  by  superstitious 
beliefs  based  mainly  upon  the  unusual  appearance  of  the  sui\ 
at  that  period.  Nat  Turner  left  a  son  named  John,  who  was 
later  sold  to  a  negro  trader  and  taken  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where 
he  became  the  trusty  servant  of  a  master  there  who  permitted 
him  to  hire  his  own  time,  paying  the  master  therefor.  He 
was  known  in  that  city  as  "  Uncle  John  Turner,  the  veterina- 
rian and  horse  trader,"  and  kept  horses  and  vehicles  for  hire. 
He  purchased  his  own  freedom  and  that  of  his  wife.  He  died 
in  St.  Louis,  leaving  a  son,  James  Milton  Turner,  who  was  for 
eight  years  minister  to  Liberia,  and  subsequently  held  other 
positions  of  honor  and  trust. 


) 


CHAPTER  XV. 
Secession  and  Civil  War. 


The  secession  of  the  slave  holding  States  was  the  means  of 
settling  the  fate  of  the  negro  slave  in  America. 

The  writer  will  not  discuss  the  wisdom,  or  the  folly  of 
secession,  but  mentions  it  as  one  of  the  great  events  in  the 
history  of  Virginia,  and  will  dismiss  this  question  with  the 
statement  that  the  right  of  separation  or  secession  of  States 
from  the  Union  was  not  first  suggested  by  the  people  of  the 
States  which  exercised  the  right  of  secession. 

The  first  public,  distinct  avowal  of  disunion  was  made  upon 
the  floor  of  the  United  States  House  of  Representatives,  by 
Josiah  Quincy,  a  distinguished  member  of  that  body  from 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  who,  in  opposition  to  the  "  Louisiana 
Purchase,"  said : 

"  I  declare  it  as  my  deliberate  opinion  that,  if  the  bill 
passes,  the  bonds  of  this  Union  are  virtually  dissolved;  that 
the  States  which  compose  it  are  free  from  their  moral  obliga- 
tions; and  that,  as  it  will  be  the  right  of  all,  so  will  it  be  the 
duty  of  some,  to  prepare  definitely  for  a  separation  amicably, 
if  they  can,  violently,  if  they  must." 

Had  Massachusetts  followed  the  advice  of  thisj  famous 
leader,  (perhaps  history  would  have  to  record  how  the  troops  of 
Virginia  fought  to  keep  Massachusetts  in  the  Union. 

During  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  1812-15,  some  of  the 
most  ardent  Federalists  of  New  England  advocated  secession 
at  the  convention  held  by  them  at  Hartford,  Connecticut. 

On  December  20,  1860,  the  people  of  South  Carolina  passed 
an  Ordinance  of  Secession  in  the  following  words : 

"  We  the  people  of  the  State  of  South  Carolina,  in  conven- 

[  160  ] 


SECESSION   AND   CIVIL   WAR 


161 


tion  assembled,  do  declare  and  ordain,  and  it  is  hereby  de- 
clared and  ordained,  that  the  Ordinance  adopted  by  us  in 
Convention,  on  the  twenty-third  day  of  May,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-eight, 
whereby  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  was  ratified, 
and  all  Acts  and  parts  of  Acts  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
State,  ratifying  Amendments  of  the  said  Constitution,  are 
hereby  repealed,  and  the  Union  now  subsisting  between  South 
Carolina  and  other  States,  under  the  name  of  the  United 
States  of  America  is  hereby  dissolved." 

Other  Southern  States  seceded  in  the  following  order: 

(1)  Mississippi,  January  9, 1861  (2)  Florida,       January  10. 1861 

(3)  Alabama,     January  11, 1861  (4)  Georgia,      January  19, 1861 

(5)  Louisiana,  January  26, 1861  (6)  Texas,         February  1, 1861 

(7)  Virginia,  April  17, 1861  (8)  Arkansas,  May  6, 1861 

(9)  Tennessee,  May  7, 1861  (10)  No.  Carolina,  May  20, 1861 

The  six  first  named  States,  along  with  South  Carolina,  sent 
delegates  to  a  convention  which  met  at  Montgomery,  Ala- 
bama, on  [February  4,  18G1,  to  form  the  "  Confederate 
States  of  America." 

Following  close  upon  secession,  came  the  war  for  the  pre- 
servation of  the  Union.  Both  adherents  to  the  contest  were 
terribly  in  earnest  to  defend  their  views,  and  during  four 
weary  years,  death  and  destruction  through  a  civil  war  stalked 
defiantly  throughout  this  hitherto  peaceful  brotherhood  of 
States. 

Men  differed  upon  this  great  subject,  and  because  of  this 
difference  of  opinion,  the  friendships  born  of  the  same 
hearthstone,  and  cemented  by  the  nearest  and  dearest  ties  of 
kindred,  were  torn  asunder  and  cast  aside  that  man's  most 
violent  passions  might  have  full  sway. 

"Lay  down  the  axe,  fling  by  the  spade, 
Leave  In  its  tracks  the  toiling  plow; 
The  rifln  ami  the  bayonet  blade 
For  arms  like  yours  were  fitter  now." 
11 


162  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

When  President  Lincoln  made  an  attempt  to  re-enforee 
Fort  Sumter  the  people  of  the  South  on  April  12,  attacked 
the  fort.     This  was  the  real  beginning  of  the  war. 

The  first  shot  at  Fort  Sumter,  was  fired  from  Cummings 
Point,  Morris  Island,  by  Edmund  Puffin,  a  Tidewater  Vir- 
ginian, then  about  seventy  years  of  age.  He  was  born  in  Isle 
of  Wight  County,  Virginia.  He  implored  this  privilege,  and 
was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  Palmetto  Guards. 

The  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter  was  accepted  as  the  first 
hostile  engagement  between  the  forces  of  the  Confederacy  and 
the  Federal  Government.  Sumter  was  evacuated  by  the  Fed- 
eral forces  on  April  14,  1861.  On  the  following  day,  April 
15,  1861,  President  Lincoln  issued  a  call  upon  the  several 
States  for  their  quota  of  militia  to  aid  in  maintaining  the 
National  Union.  This  call  of  President  Lincoln  precipitated 
action  on  the  part  of  Virginia,  and  two  days  thereafter,  on 
April  17,  1861,  an  Ordinance  of  Secession  was  passed.  The 
Governor,  John  Letcher,  thereupon  issued  a  proclamation 
announcing  the  accession  of  Virginia  to  the  Confederacy. 
Immediately  after  this,  a  military  league  was  formed  of  the 
people  of  Virginia  with  the  "  Confederate  States  of  the 
South."  By  this  treaty,  the  latter  were  bound  to  march  to  the 
aid  of  Virginia  against  the  invasion  of  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment. 

The  first  Federal  troops  to  reach  the  Federal  Capital, 
Washington,  D.  C,  in  response  to  President  Lincoln's  call, 
were  five  companies  of  Pennsylvanians,  composed  of  five  hun- 
dred and  thirty  troops,  from  Pottsville,  Reading,  Lewistown, 
and  Allentown.  They  reached  Washington  on  the  evening  of 
April  18,  1861.  The  writer,  then  a  lad  of  seventeen  years  of 
age,  a  runaway  from  school,  was  one  of  the  five  hundred  and 
thirty  troops  above  referred  to. 

On  the  evening  of  April  18,  1861,  the  five  hundred  and 
thirty  Pennsylvanians  reached  Washington  from  Harrison  rg, 


Carpet   Bag;  of  Reconstruction  Days. 


SECESSIOX    AND   CIVIL   WAR  163 

Pa.,  by  way  of  Baltimore  City,  and  camped  in  the  Capitol 
Building,  that  same  evening,  occupying  both  the  Senate  and 
House  of  Representatives  chambers.  They  were  accom- 
panied from  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  by  forty  troops  of  the 
Eegular  Army,  under  command  of  Lieutenant  John  C.  Pem- 
berton,  who,  upon  reaching  Baltimore,  resigned  his  command 
at  Port  McHenry,  went  South  and  subsequently  was  placed  in 
command,  as  Lieutenant-General,  of  the  Confederate  Army 
at  Vicksburg,  Mississippi,  where  it  was  the  fortune  of  the 
writer,  while  with  the  Federal  Army,  in  July,  1863,  to  again 
meet  this  officer. 

On  the  evening  of  April  19,  1SG1,  the  6th  Massachusetts 
volunteers  also  reached  Washington  City.  In  passing  through 
Baltimore  City,  Maryland,  several  of  the  Massachusetts  men 
were  killed. 

The  Pennsylvania  and  Massachusetts  troops,  above  men- 
tioned, were  the  only  Federal  soldiers  in  the  city  of  Washing- 
ton until  April  25,  1861,  when  the  7th  Regiment  New  York 
volunteers  arrived  there  by  way  of  Annapolis,  as  all  the  rail- 
road bridges  had  been  burned,  and  all  the  telegraph  lines 
leading  into  Washington  had  been  cut,  thus  completely  isolat- 
ing that  city  with  less  than  two  thousand  Federal  troops  to 
guard  it. 

Had  Virginia  been  active  following  the  Ordinance  of  Seces- 
sion, passed  by  her  Legislature  on  the  17th  of  April,  1861,  her 
troops  could  have  entered  and  taken  possession  of  Washington 
City,  as  there  were  no  Federal  troops  there  until  the  evening 
of  April  18th,  1861,  except  a  corporal's  guard  of  regulars,  and 
a  small  quota  of  District  militia  to  oppose,  and  less  than  two 
thousand  Federal  troops  there  until  the  evening  of  April  25, 
1861. 

The  "Richmond  Enquirer"  of  April  23,  1801,  said:  "The 
capture  of  Washington  City  is  perfectly  within  the  power  of 
Virginia  and  Maryland,  if  Virginia  will  only  make  the 
proper  effort  by  her  constituted  authorities." 


164  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

At  midnight,  on  May  23,  1861,  the  first  Federal  troops  to 
invade  the  State  crossed  to  Virginia  by  way  of  Aqueduct 
Bridge,  at  Georgetown,  D.  C,  near  the  head  of  tidewater. 
There  were  three  columns,  each  to  cross  the  Potomac  River 
into  Virginia  at  different  points;  they  moved  almost  simul- 
taneously. The  one  by  way  of  Aqueduct  Bridge,  which  was 
the  first  to  reach  Virginia,  was  commanded  by  General  Irwin 
McDowell.  As  it  advanced  to  the  Virginia  end  of  the  bridge, 
they  forced  the  State  pickets  to  retire.  The  second  column 
crossed  at  the  Long  Bridge,  from  Washington  City ;  the  third 
column,  destined  for  Alexandria  City,  embarked  on  two 
schooners  from  the  Eastern  Branch,  a  tributary  of  the  Poto- 
mac which  enters  that  river  on  the  southern  part  of  Washing- 
ton City. 

This  last  column,  which  embarked  on  the  two  schooners, 
was  composed  of  the  New  York  Fire  Zouave  Regiment,  under 
Col.  E.  E.  Ellsworth.  Through  the  coming  of  Ellsworth  to 
Alexandria  was  shed  the  first  blood  of  the  men  of  the  North 
and  the  men  of  the  South,  during  the  Civil  War,  upon  the 
soil  of  Tidewater  Virginia.  Upon  entering  Alexandria,  Ells- 
worth seeing  a  Confederate  flag  floated  from  the  "  Marshall 
House,"  on  King  Street,  went  in  person  and  took  it  down,  and 
when  descending  a  staircase  with  it,  he  was  shot  and  killed  by 
Jackson,  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel.  The  killing  of  Ells- 
worth was  followed  by  the  immediate  killing  of  Jackson  by 
one  of  Ellsworth's  soldiers.  Jackson  was  not  an  enlisted 
man. 

Alexandria  City  was  taken  by  the  Federal  army  without 
battle,  other  than  a  few  stray  shots  from  the  Virginia  sentries 
as  they  retired  before  the  advance  of  the  Federal  forces. 

The  first  battle  fought  upon  the  land,  during  the  Civil  War, 
was  at  Big  Bethel,  York  County,  in  "  The  Peninsula"  divi- 
sion of  Tidewater  Virginia,  on  June  10,  1861,  and  the  first 
soldier  of  the  Confederate  army  killed  during  the  War  in  a 


SECESSION   AXD   CIVIL   WAR  165 

lend  battle,  was  Henry  Lawson  Wyatt,  a  private  of  Company 
K,  First  North  Carolina  Regiment  of  Volunteers,  at  Big 
Bethel,  on  the  date  above  named.  Major  Theodore  "Winthrop, 
of  Massachusetts,  Aide  and  Military  Secretary  to  Gen.  B.  F. 
Butler,  was  the  first  Federal  soldier  shot  in  this  battle.  He 
was  killed  by  a  shot  from  a  North  Carolina  drummer  boy  as 
he  climbed  on  a  stump  to  reconnoiter.  It  is  said  of  him  that 
"  the  first  suggestion  of  arming  the  black  man  in  this  war  came 
from  Theodore  Winthrop." 

Thus  began  the  battling  of  the  Civil  "War  within  "  The 
Peninsula  "  section,  and  almost  within  sight  of  the  spot  where 
the  first  colony  seated  to  form  the  nucleus  of  this  mighty 
nation.  This  early  battle  ground,  where  brothers  of  the  one 
Nation  first  fought  each  other  to  the  death,  during  the  Civil 
War,  was  made  sacred  by  the  early  pioneers  of  a  new  civiliza- 
tion, through  their  suffering  of  famine  and  disease,  and 
through  their  struggles  with  the  wild  men,  and  the  wild  beasts 
of  a  new  world,  and  through  their  own  hardships  and  labors, 
they  brought  forth  a  garden  spot  from  a  wilderness  of  forest 
and  swamp,  in  the  hopes  that  their  offspring  might  dwell 
therein  in  peace,  and  thrive  therein  in  plenty. 

Virginia  at  once  became  the  chief  State  in  the  Confederacy, 
and  its  principal  battle  ground  during  the  entire  war.  All 
parts  of  the  State  are  dotted  throughout  with  the  sites  of 
battle  fields,  excepting  the  two  counties  of  the  "  Eastern 
Shore  "  peninsula  which,  during  the  whole  war,  were  in  the 
possession  of  the  Federal  forces. 

It  is  said  to  be  manifestly  impossible  to  secure  absolutely 
correct  statistics  of  the  Civil  War  which  continued  for  four 
years,  from  18G1  to  1865. 

The  Adjutant  General's  office  gives  the  following  statistics 
of  the  Civil  War:  The  statistics  for  the  Confederate  troops 
are  only  partially  given.  Federal  troops  killed  in  battle, 
67,058;  died  of  wounds,  43,012;  died  of  disease,  199,720; 


166  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

other    causes,    such    as    accidents,    murder,    in    Confederate 
prisons,  etc.,  40,154.     Total,  349,944.     Deserted,  199,105. 

Confederate  troops  who  died  of  wounds  or  disease  (partial 
statement),  133,831;  deserted  (partial  statement),  104,428. 
Number  of  Federal  troops  captured  during  the  War,  212,608 ; 
Confederate  troops  captured  during  the  War,  476,169 ;  Num- 
ber Federal  troops  paroled  on  the  field,  16,431 ;  Confederate 
troops  paroled  on  the  field,  248,599;  number  of  Federal 
troops  who  died  while  prisoners,  30,156 ;  Confederate  troops 
who  died  while  prisoners,  30,153,  a  difference  only  of  three 
men  in  a  total,  60,309. 

Aggregate  number  of  men  credited  in  the  several  calls  for 
troops,  and  put  into  the  service  in  the  Federal  Army,  Navy 
and  Marine  Corps,  from  the  first  call  of  President  Lincoln, 
April  15,  1861,  to  April  14,  1865,  was  2,656,553. 

The  total  number  of  men  put  into  the  service  in  the  Con- 
federate States  cannot  be  definitely  ascertained.  It  is  esti- 
mated between  700,000  and  1,000,000. 

There  were  mustered  out  of  the  Federal  Service  in  1865, 
when  the  war  closed,  786,000  officers  and  men. 

There  were  1,882  battles  fought,  being  an  average  of  more 
than  one  battle  for  each  day  of  the  entire  war.  About  one- 
half  of  these  were  fought  in  Virginia.  Of  this  number,  in 
112  battles,  there  were  more  than  500  men  killed  in  each 
battle.  The  killed  in  battle  would  average  more  than  fourteen 
hundred  men  in  each  month  of  the  war,  from  its  beginning  to 
the  close. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  cost  of  the  Civil  War,  to  the  North 
and  the  South,  irrespective  of  the  money  value  of  the  slaves, 
was  in  expenditure  of  money,  loss  of  property,  etc.,  about 
eleven  billions  of  dollars. 

The  Eevolutionary  War  cost  $135,193,703,  and  30,000 
American  soldiers'  lives. 

The  War  of  1812  cost  $107,150,000,  and  2,000  American 
lives. 


SECESSION    AND   CIVIL   WAR  167 

The  Mexican  War  cost  $74,000,000,  and  2,000  American 
lives. 

Indian  rears  and  other  minor  wars  cost  $1,000,000,000,  and 
49,000  American  lives. 

The  eastern  portion  of  Tidewater  Virginia,  bordering  on 
the  Potomac  River,  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  the  lower  James 
River,  was  in  possession  of  and  within  the  lines  of  the  Federal 
armies  early  in  the  war. 

The  inland  portions  of  Tidewater  Virginia  were  the  scenes 
of  many  desperate  conflicts  between  the  Federal  and  Con- 
federate forces. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
The  Negro  and  His  Former  Master. 


It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  writer  to  record  in  detail  the 
history  of  emancipation.     Before  the  Civil  War,  the  question 
of  the  extension  of  slavery  was  warmly  discussed  and  its 
boundaries  in  part  were  settled  by  a  compromise,  known  as  the 
Missouri  Compromise,  and  the  question  of  manumitting  the 
slaves  was  also  earnestly  discussed  by  men  of  the  South,  many 
of  whom  were  prominent  and  influential  in  state  and  nation. 
Among  these  men  was  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  earnestly  advo- 
cated the  emancipation  of  slaves  by  the  State  of  Virginia. 
His  plan  was  to  provide  by  law  that  all  children  born  after  a 
certain  date  were  to  be  free,  though  their  parents  might  be 
slaves.     This  was  the  plan  pursued  by  some  of  the  Northern 
States.     Many  other  prominent  men  in  the  South  felt  as  did 
Jefferson,  that  at  some  day  the  States  should  provide  for 
emancipation.     Following  the  Nat  Turner  insurrection,  the 
sentiment  for  emancipation  of  the  slaves  grew  greatly.     Some 
proposed  to  colonize  the  negroes,  and  societies  composed  of 
the  best  people  were  formed  in  all  parts  of  the  State  for  this 
purpose.     The   question   of   setting   free   all   the  slaves  was 
warmly  debated  in  the  Legislature  of  Virginia  and  a  bill  to 
abolish  slavery  was  offered   and  was  defeated  in  the  lower 
house  by  a  small  majority.     The  fact  that  many  prominent 
men  must  have  favored  emancipation  is  proven  by  the  large 
number  of  "  free  negroes  "  resident  in  the  Southern  States  in 
1860,  who  were  either  ex-slaves  or  their  descendants,  notwith- 
standing the  laws  to  the  contrary  which  provided  for  their 
removal  when  freed. 

[163] 


THE   NEGRO   AND    HIS    FORMER   MASTER 


169 


Number  of  Slaves  and   Free  Colored  in  the  United  States 

in  1790  and  in  1860. 

The  First  and  Last  Census  of  the  Slaves. 


CENSUS  OF  1790. 


Statu. 


Alabama    

Arkansas     

Connecticut    

Delaware    

Florida    

Georgia    

Kansas    

Kentucky    

Louisiana    

Maryland    

Mississippi    

Missouri    

Nebraska    

New  Hampshire  

New  Jersey   

New  York 

North  Carolina 

Pennsylvania  

Rhode  Island  

South  Carolina   

Tennessee    

Texas  

Virginia  

District  of  Columbia 
Utah  Territory   


Totals 


Slaves. 


2,764 
8,887 


29,204 

'  12,430 

103,036 


158 

11,423 

21,324 

100,572 

8,737 

948 

107,094 

3,417 


292,027 


697,681 


Free 
Colored. 


8,899 
398 


114 

8,043 


630 
2,762 
4,654 
4,975 
6,537 
3,407 
1,801 

361 


12.866 


50,447 


CENSUS  OF  1860 


Slaves. 


435,080 
111,115 


1,793 

61,745 

462,198 

2* 

225,485 

331,726 

87,189 

436,631 

114,931 

15* 


18* 


331,059 


402,406 
275,719 
182,566 
490,865 
3,185 
29* 


3.953,760 


Free 
Colored. 


2,690 

144 

8,627 

19,829 

932 

3,500 

625 

10,684 

18,647 

83,942 

773 

3,572 

67 

494 

25,318 

49,005 

30  463 

56,042 

3,959 

9,914 

7,300 

355 

58,042 

11,131 

30 


406,985 


The  above  table  includes  all  the  slaves  in  the  United  States 
as  enumerated  by  the  United  States  Census,  during  the  years 
1790  and  18G0,  respectively,  and  the  free  colored  only  in  the 
States  in  which  slaves  were  enumerated  during  one  or  both  of 
the  census  years  above  named.  This  table  indicates  a  large 
increase  of  free  colored  in  the  respective  slave-holding  States 
between  the  years  1790  and  1860,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  very  many  of  the  slaves  upon  being  freed,  removed  to  the 


170  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

non-slave  holding  States.  The  States  marked  with  a  star,  in 
the  Census  of  1860,  were  non-slave  holding.  The  slaves 
enumerated  therein  happened  to  be  there  with  their  masters 
at  the  time  the  census  was  taken,  except  in  the  case  of  New 
Jersey,  where  they  were  "  colored  apprentices  for  life,"  by  the 
act  to  abolish  slavery,  passed  by  New  Jersey,  April  18,  1804. 

In  1790,  slaves  were  held  in  every  one  of  the  seventeen 
States  then  in  the  Union,  excepting  Maine,  Massachusetts, 
and  Vermont.  History  accredits  New  England  Eum, 
Yankee  Skippers,  and  English  Captains  of  ships  with  supply- 
ing the  slave  markets  of  America  until  suppressed  by  law. 

The  total  cost  of  the  Civil  War  was  a  sum  more  than 
equal  to  the  payment  of  $2,000  for  every  slave,  male  and 
female,  old  and  young,  in  the  United  States  in  the  year  1860. 

Before  the  Civil  War  was  far  advanced,  the  question  of 
granting  freedom  to  the  slaves  was  first  brought  to  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Federal  Government  through  the  practice  by  many 
of  the  commanding  officers  of  the  Federal  army  returning 
captured  fugitive  slaves  to  their  owners. 

On  July  9,  1861,  a  resolution  was  passed  by  Congress 
that  it  was  "  no  part  of  the  duty  of  soldiers  of  the  United 
States  to  capture  and  return  fugitive  slaves." 

On  August  10,  1862,  a  joint  resolution  was  passed  by  the 
Federal  Congress  "  That  the  government  cooperate  with  any 
State  whose  inhabitants  might  adopt  measures  for  emancipa- 
tion and  should  give  to  such  State  pecuniary  aid,  to  be  used  by 
it,  at  its  discretion,  to  compensate  it  for  the  inconvenience, 
public  and  private  produced  by  such  change  of  system." 

On  February  3,  1865,  a  peace  commission  from  the  Con- 
federate States  met  on  board  a  steamer  anchored  in  Hampton 
Eoads,  Virginia,  at  which  were  present  Alexander  Stephens, 
E.  M.  T.  Hunter  and  J.  A.  Campbell,  of  the  Confederate  side, 
and  President  Lincoln,  and  Secretary  of  State,  Seward,  on 
the  Federal  side.     At  this  conference,  it  is  said  that  President 


THE   NEGRO   AND   HIS    FORMER   MASTER  171 

Lincoln  made  the  following  remarks  to  Mr.  Stephens: 
"  Your  people  might  after  all,  get  $400,000,000  for  the  slaves, 
and  you  would  be  surprised  if  I  should  call  the  names  of  some 
of  those  who  favor  such  a  proposition." 

On  September  22,  1862,  President  Lincoln  issued  a  pre- 
liminary proclamation  of  emancipation.  He  then  declared 
that  -on  the  first  day  of  January  next  ensuing,  the  slaves 
within  every  State,  or  designated  part  of  a  State,  the  people 
whereof  should  then  be  in  rebellion,  should  be  declared 
"thence  forward  and  forever  free."  He  also  declared 
that  any  State  in  which  "  rebellion "  had  existed  that 
should  have  in  Congress  at  that  time — January  1,  1863 — ■ 
representatives  chosen  in  good  faith,  at  a  legal  election  by  the 
qualified  voters  of  such  State  should  be  exempted  from  the 
operations  of  the  proclamation. 

On  January  1,  1863,  he  issued  a  Proclamation  of  Eman- 
cipation, designating  the  States  and  parts  of  States  wherein 
the  people  were  in  rebellion,  and  among  the  places  excepted 
from  the  operations  of  this  proclamation  were  the  following 
counties  and  cities  of  Tidewater  Virginia :  "Accomac,  North- 
ampton, Elizabeth  City,  York,  Princess  Anne,  and  Norfolk, 
irj eluding  the  cities  of  Norfolk  and  Portsmouth,  and  which 
excepted  parts  are,  for  the  present,  left  precisely  as  if  this 
proclamation  were  not  issued."  This  proclamation  did  not 
interfere  with  the  slaves  within  the  territory  above  named, 
neither  did  it  interfere  with  the  slave  States  outside  the  Con- 
federacy, viz:  Delaware,  Maryland,  Kentucky,  and  Missouri. 
Slavery  was  abolished  in  the  District  of  Columbia  by  bill 
approved  April  16,  1862. 

Freedom  was  extended  to  all  slaves  within  tbc  United 
States  and  Territories  by  Article  XI IT,  Section  2,  of  the 
Amendment  to  tbe  United  States  Constitution.  The  amend- 
tnent  was  proposed  at  the  secon  ion  of  the  38th  Congress, 

passing  the  Senate  April  8,  1864,  and  the  House  January  31, 

15.     It  was  official!     announced  to  the  country  December 


172  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

18,  1865,  that  it  had  been  ratified  by  three-fourths  of  the 
States,  and  was  therefore  a  part  of  the  supreme  law  of  the 
land. 

Freedom  was  accepted  by  the  negroes  according  to  their 
natural  temperament.  Some  of  them  were  loud  and  demon- 
strative in  their  joys.  Such  was  "Aunt  Dorcas,"  a  portly, 
dark  yellow  woman,  whose  former  master  and  mistress  were 
extremely  lenient  and  kind  to  their  servants.  Her  mistress 
died  many  years  preceding  the  Civil  War  and  her  master  died 
a  short  while  after  the  war  began,  and  his  estate  being  in  an 
unsettled  condition,  "Aunt  Dorcas,"  together  with  the  other 
servants,  were  deeply  concerned  as  to  whose  hands  they  might 
fall  into,  and  greatly  relieved  when  the  war  ended  with  their 
freedom.  She  was  the  principal  servant  about  the  house,  and 
recognizing  her  responsibilities,  she  refused  to  take  advantage 
of  the  many  opportunities  offered  here  to  escape  to  freedom; 
thus  she  remained  true  to  the  last.  After  the  war  she  settled 
at  the  Court  House  village,  and  made  her  living  by  laundry 
work  for  its  inhabitants.  That  she  was  anxious  and  grateful 
for  her  freedom,  was  manifest  in  her  actions  during  the  first 
two  or  three  years  following  her  entry  into  the  village.  When 
the  spirit  moved  her — at  intervals  of  two  or  three  times  a 
week — she  would  walk  into  the  middle  of  the  public  road, 
raise  here  eyes  and  her  hands  Heavenward  and  cry  out  in 
loud,  beseeching  tones :  "  Th-a-ank  Je-e-sus  I'se  f  ree-e ! 
Ya-a-s  my  Je-eus  I'se  f ree-e !"  after  which  she  would  go  into 
her  house,  get  her  laundry  basket  and  collect  her  day's  work 
from  the  white  residents  of  the  village.  Such  was  the  innate 
good  manners  of  the  white  residents  of  this  village — both  old 
and  young — that  "Aunt  Dorcas  "  was  never  disturbed,  by  act 
or  voice,  while  in  her  moods  of  rejoicing.  The  whites  were 
civil  in  their  manner  towards  the  negroes,  and  the  negroes 
were  also  civil  to  the  whites. 

"A  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath; 
But  grievous  words  stir  up  anger." 


THE   NEGRO   AXD   HIS    FORMER   MASTER  173 

Very  many  of  the  negroes  made  no  demonstration  what- 
ever to  indicate  their  feelings  upon  the  subject  of  freedom, 
but  went  about  stolidly  as  before  without  change  of  manners 
or  conduct. 

The  elderly  negroes  were  somewhat  dazed  by  their  free- 
dom, and  were  at  a  loss  to  determine  its  full  scope.  Owing 
to  rumors  of  repeated  bondage,  which  were  idly  circulated 
by  the  thoughtless,  some  of  these  old  servants  were  shy  of  re- 
maining upon  the  old  homestead  to  which  their  former  master 
and  mistress  had  kindly  invited  them  and  hospitably  offered 
a  shelter  for  life.  Some  of  them  after  accepting  these  hospi- 
table offers,  would  suddenly  leave  their  homes  as  if  to  deter- 
mine fully  their  freedom.  Very  often  this  sudden  determi- 
nation to  make  a  change  was  brought  about  by  the  twitting  of 
others  of  their  race  in  charging  them  with  yet  belonging 
to  their  former  owners.  Especially  was  this  the  case  where 
the  servants  continued  to  address  the  former  master  or  mis- 
tress in  the  courteous  manner  of  their  former  bondage,  as 
"  Marster,"  or  "  Missus,"  but  notwithstanding  these  upbraid- 
ings  of  the  younger  ones,  many  of  these  old  servants  con- 
tinued this  courteous  manner  of  salutation  for  several  years 
after  their  freedom,  and  finally  the  appellation  "  Boss  "  was 
substituted  for  "  Marster  "  and  "  Mam  "  for  "  Missus." 

When  the  Civil  "War  ended  and  emancipation  of  the  slave 
became  a  fact  throughout  the  whole  United  States,  both  the 
former  master,  and  his  former  servant,  were  met  with  new 
problems  in  the  labor  market.  From  the  position  of  absolute 
owner  and  master  of  his  laborers  to  that  of  landlord  only,  and 
from  absolute  bondage — without  cares  or  responsibilities — to 
that  of  a  freeman,  with  all  its  perplexities  and  responsibili- 
ties, were  the  conditions  forced  upon  the  white  man,  and  the 
negro  of  the  Southern  States,  without  a  personal  experience 
for  either  to  guide  them.  The  majority  of  the  masters  never 
before  had  occasion  to  rent  their  lands,  or  to  use  any  labor 


174  LIFE    IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

outside  of  what  they  owned,  except  perhaps,  for  some  high 
grade  mechanical  work.  The  slave  and  his  family  were  cared 
for  by  the  owner,  whether  the  servant  were  industrious  or  in- 
dolent, and  when  he  was  freed,  the  value  of  his  services  were 
to  be  measured  by  his  own  industry  and  capability.  Gene- 
rations of  bonded  servitude  made  the  bondsman  dependent 
upon  others  for  guidance.  He  had  no  occasion  to  exercise 
brain  power,  other  than  in  performing  his  daily  set  tasks  re- 
gardless of  the  profits  or  losses  which  might  follow  success  or 
failure. 

During  the  first  few  years  following  freedom,  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  induce  the  servants  to  make  binding  bargains  for  a 
year's  services  upon  the  plantation,  owing  to  the  dread  that 
such  promises  were  binding  bargains  against  their  liberty. 
Very  many  left  their  homes  during  the  war,  and  many  of 
those  who  remained,  or  returned,  were  undetermined  what  to 
do;  thus  there  developed  a  serious  uncertainty  in  the  labor 
market.  There  was  also  a  "  spell  of  idleness  "  pervading  the 
air  which  laid  its  microbe  upon  young  and  old,  as  it  attacks 
the  school  boy  who  is  not  well  enough  to  attend  his  school,  but 
is  quite  hearty  enough  to  spend  the  idle  day  in  active  sports 
with  companions  of  his  kind.  During  these  periods  of  idle- 
ness, many  of  the  servants  would  refuse  a  day's  labor  with 
remunerative  pay  and  ample  food,  and  instead  would  prefer 
to  carry  a  peck  of  their  own  corn,  worth  ten  cents,  to  the  grist 
mill,  distant  perhaps  several  miles,  and  while  hungrily  await- 
ing "  their  turn  "  to  have  it  ground  into  meal,  for  which  one- 
eighth  was  deducted  therefrom  for  "  toll ;"  they  would  spend 
the  day  upon  the  banks  of  the  mill  pond,  nodding  in  the  sun- 
shine, while  they  held  in  their  hand  a  fishing  line  baited  for 
"  mill  pond  suckers." 

These  were  trying  times  for  the  farmer  who  had  managed 
to  seed  his  crops  upon  his  lands,  and  which  now  needed  "  lay- 
ing by" — the  finishing  furrow  to  the  corn  crop.     Many  of 


Wind   Grist  Mill,    Mathews   Co.,  Va. 


Water-power,   "Overshol   Wheel,"  Grist   Mill,  Richmond  Co.,  Va. 


THE    XEGRO   AND   HIS    FORMER    MASTER  175 

those  who  never  before  had  done  a  day's  labor  in  the  field, 
now  took  off  their  coats,  and  went  manfully  to  work. 

It  is  related  that  a  certain  dignified  old  gentleman,  who 
heretofore  had  an  abundance  of  servants,  and  therefore  un- 
used to  labor  himself,  rinding  his  corn  fields  needed  plowing, 
and  unable  to  obtain  labor,  determined,  against  the  remon- 
strance of  his  tender-hearted  wife,  to  "  lay  his  corn  by  "  him- 
self. With  this  purpose  in  view,  early  the  following  morning, 
he  hitched  to  his  plow  a  young,  sprightly  mule.  About  the 
hour  the  sun  had  arisen  well  up  in  the  heavens  and  heated  the 
atmosphere,  owing  to  the  quick  movements  of  his  young  mule, 
he  had  made  progress  enough  through  the  tall  corn  to  fatigue 
him,  and  warm  him,  so  much  that  he  was  compelled  to  shed 
some  of  his  garments  at  the  end  of  each  corn  row.  One  by 
one  went  his  garments,  first  his  coat,  then  his  vest  at  the  other 
end  of  the  row,  then  followed  his  cravat,  his  collar,  his  dress 
shirt,  bis  shoes  and  socks,  and  his  hat — distributed  from 
end  to  end  of  the  field.  Nevertheless  the  perspiration  was 
increasing  on  his  body,  notwithstanding  he  had  shed  the  last 
garment  he  could  with  propriety  spare  therefrom.  Deciding 
to  view  the  result  of  his  labors,  he  mounted  the  fence,  and 
with  mortification  and  disgust,  beheld  the  small  space  of  corn- 
field which  he  had  so  laboriously  "laid  by;"  he  then  glanced 
over  the  larger  remaining  unplowed  portion  which  was  a 
iter  surprise  to  him.     Upon  taking  a  sec<  'nee  of  the 

unplov.ed  lands,  and  then  viewing  the  reeking  condition  of 
his  lone  nether  garment,  and  his  smoking  hot  mule,  he  waved 
his  hand  in  the  direction  of  the  unplowed  field  and  cried 
aloud  with  determined  and  indignant  voice,  "I'll  lay  you  all 
by  yet,  if  it  kills  me/' 

His  anxious  wife  had  sent  her  only  servant,  a  faithful  old 
black  mammy  conk,  to  the  field  with  a  jug  of  cool,  fresh  water 
fur  the  old  gentleman.  The  servant  reached  the  cornfield 
just  as  he  had  finished  his  view  of  the  unplowed  lands,  when 


176  LIFE  IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

he  began  to  heap  imprecations  upon  the  "  lazy  niggers/'  the 
"  Yankees/'  and  "  emancipation."  Upon  her  return  to  her 
mistress  she  was  asked  how  her  master  was  getting  on  in  his 
work.  "  I  tells  you  Missus/'  she  replied,  "  I'se  feered  ol' 
Marster  don'  loss  his  mind.  He  don'  flung  away  mos'  ev'ry 
stitch  uv  his  clothes,  an'  he  was  rarrin'  an'  pitchin'  'bout  de 
lazy,  sorry  niggers,  de  Yankees,  an'  'mancipation.  It's  de 
truff  ef  evah  I  toF  it  Missus,  dat  de  words  oF  Marster  was  a 
say  in'  was  jes'  mos'  laik  ol'  time  'tracted  meetin'  preachin'  as 
evah  I  heerd  in  all  ma  bo'n  days." 

The  problem  of  labor  was  finally  solved  in  the  majority  of 
instances  by  the  owner  of  the  lands  "  sharing  the  crops  "  with 
the  laborer.  Under  this  method,  a  certain  part  of  the  crops 
were  to  be  set  aside  for  the  hire  of  the  lands,  the  team,  and 
the  implements,  and  the  remainder  was  to  be  divided  between 
the  owner  and  the  tenant.  This  plan  was  known  as  "  working 
on  shares,"  and  under  the  conditions  prevailing  at  that  date, 
it  probably  was  the  better  plan,  as  the  owner  of  the  lands  was 
not  at  that  period  prepared  with  ready  money  to  hire  labor, 
and  the  negro  was  in  the  same  condition  as  to  the  means  to 
purchase  teams,  implements,  and  food  to  last  until  the  crops 
were  harvested. 

This  arrangement  continued  for  many  successive  years, 
and  is  yet  the  plan  followed  in  many  instances. 

It  is  related  that  there  was  a  certain  close-fisted  farmer 
who  persuaded  a  negro  away  from  his  former  master's  service 
by  making  him  the  liberal  offer  of  one-half  of  the  crop,  reserv- 
ing the  other  half  for  the  use  of  the  land  and  team. 

After  the  crop  was  harvested  this  old  servant  was  met  on 
the  road  by  his  former  master,  and  inquiry  was  made  as  to 
how  he  succeeded  in  farming  on  such  liberal  sharing  of  the 
crop. 

"Ise  gittin'  on  mighty  slow  Boss,"  said  he,  "I  wucked 
Mistuh  C 's  co'n  crap  on  half  shar's,  an'  kaze  uv  de  drouf 


THE   NEGRO   AND   HIS    FORMER    MASTER  177 

dar  war'nt  mo'  dan  hall  a  crap  rais',  an'  Mistuh  C he  say 

to  me  dat  dar's  no  use  'sputin'  'bout  it,  kaze  de  half  crap  dat 
wuz  raise  mus'  sholy  go  fo'  de  Ian'  an'  de  mules.  I  don  quit 
'sputin'  wid  him,  an'  I  don  quit  wuckin'  on  sich  shar's  as  dat." 

Whenever  an  industrious  negro  desired  to  obtain  a  home 
of  his  own,  he  was  usually  helped  by  the  whites,  selling  him 
a  portion  of  their  lands  upon  easy  terms.  By  this  means 
many  homes  have  been  secured  by  negroes. 

The  negro  is  appreciative  of  praise  for  tasks  well  done. 
Very  few  of  them  have  the  initiative  to  meet  sudden,  unex- 
pected emergencies.  This  may  be  due  to  their  training  in 
days  of  bondage — awaiting  instructions  or  orders  from  others. 
Many,  or  repeated  instructions,  or  orders,  relative  to  his 
task  are  apt  to  confuse  instead  of  aiding  him.  The  negro  is 
naturally  more  inclined  to  jollity  than  to  seriousness,  and  i3 
quick  to  perceive  and  appreciate  the  humor  of  the  ridiculous 
in  one  of  his  own  race,  and  upon  occasions,  gives  boisterous 
vent,  instead  of  suppression  to  his  humor. 

A  negro  might  have  a  slow,  shambling  gait  when  at  his  work, 
but  when  he  danced,  there  was  "  nothing  slow  about  him." 
Nearly  every  young  negro  dances,  and  always  to  lively  tunes, 
whether  they  are  played  upon  the  fiddle,  banjo,  jewsharp,  or 
mouth  organ,  or  if  they  are  "  patted  "  to  him,  he  will  keep  ex- 
cellent time,  and  cut  more  "  pigeon  wings  "  than  any  pro- 
fessional minstrel  of  the  present  day. 

Few  whites  can  equal  his  performances,  and  none  can  sur- 
pass him  in  shaking  his  feet.  The  following  is  one  of  the  old 
time  popular  "  jig  "  songs. 

De  hen  an'  chickens  went  to  roos' 
De  hawk  flew  down  an'  bit  de  goos' 
He  bit  do  ol'  h"n   in   de  bac' 
I  do  b'liove  dat  am  a  fac,. 

O  Jinnie  pit  yo'  hoe   rake   don'  ma   dear, 
O  Jinnie  git  yo'  hoe  cake  don'. 

12 


178  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 


As  I  was  gwine  'long  down  de  road, 
'Pon  a  stump  dar  sot  a  toad, 
De    toad   he   winked   to   tadpole's   daughter 
An'  kicked  a  big  frog  in  de  water. 

O  Jinnie  git  yo'  hoe   cake  don'  ma  dear, 
O  Jinnie  git  yo'  hoe  cake  don'. 


This  was  a  lively  tune,  and  needed  sprightly  limbs  to  keep 
time  to  it. 

During  these  later  years,  the  negroes  are  giving  up  their 
singing,  dancing,  wrestling  or  kicking  bouts  in  public,  which 
were  the  chief  pastime  of  their  fathers  in  the  days  of  slavery 
and  immediately  after  the  Civil  War. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
County  Courts  in   Tidewater  Virginia 


The  origin  of  government,  and  of  the  courts  of  law  from 
their  first  beginning  in  Virginia  is  a  lengthy  and  interesting 
study  for  the  student  at  law,  and  because  of  its  voluminous 
proportions  will  not  be  closely  followed  by  the  writer.  It  is 
said  that,  "  as  every  new  law  is  made  to  remove  some  incon- 
venience the  State  was  subject  to  before  the  making  of  it,  and 
for  which  no  other  method  of  redress  was  effectual,  the  law 
itself  is  a  standing,  and  the  most  authentic  evidence  we  can 
require  of  the  state  of  things  previous  to  it." 

From  the  very  beginning  of  the  settlement,  and  for  at  least 
five  years  following,  the  colonists  were  but  the  servants  of  the 
London  Company  who  transported  them  to  Virginia  in  its 
own  vessels,  and  maintained  them  there  at  its  cost.  When 
they  reached  Virginia  they  were  divided  into  groups  to  work 
under  the  supervision  of  men  chosen  to  direct  them  in  their 
labors.  They  were  to  carry  out  the  orders  of  the  Company: 
"  To  build  and  fortify  the  town,  to  clear  and  prepare  ground 
for  planting,  to  explore  the  rivers,"  etc.  The  advice  was: 
"  The  way  to  prosper  and  achieve  good  success  is  to  make 
yourselves  all  of  one  mind  for  the  good  of  your  country  and 
your  own."  The  colony  was  begun  "  a  kingdom  without 
written  laws,"  and  so  continued  until  the  meeting  of  the  first 
House  of  Burgess  in  1G19.  Until  then  they  were  supposed  to 
be  governed  by  the  laws  of  England,  but  when  the  three  ships 
conveying  the  colony  weighed  anchor  and  set  sail  from  Black- 
wells,  the  laws  of  England  like  many  other  home  comforts 
were  left  behind. 

From  1607  to  1G09  the  colony  was  under  the  immediate 

[  179  ] 


180  LIFE  IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

control  of  a  president  and  a  council  who  administered  such 
justice  as  their  wills  dictated.  The  great  power  vested  in  this 
first  council  and  president  was  manifest  upon  the  return  of 
Captain  John  Smith  to  Jamestown  after  his  rescue  from  death 
by  Pocahontas,  in  January,  1G08.  The  council  then  held  him 
responsible  for  the  death  of  his  crew  by  the  Indian  Chief 
Opechanchanough;  for  this  the  council  condemned  him  to  die, 
and  but  for  the  timely  arrival  of  Capt.  Newport  from  England 
upon  the  morning  set  for  Smith's  execution,  they  would  have 
carried  their  design  into  effect. 

Until  the  colony  increased  in  numbers  and  expanded  in 
territory,  and  the  individual  member  could  lay  claim  to  the 
products  of  his  own  industry,  there  was  no  need  for  courts  of 
justice  such  as  now  exist,  because  there  were  neither  property 
nor  individual  rights  to  settle. 

The  colony  from  its  first  settlement  in  1607,  up  to  the  year 
1624  was  under  the  control  of  the  Virginia  Company  of  Lon- 
don— a  proprietary  government.  After  that  it  was  a  royal 
government  under  the  control  of  the  Crown  of  England. 

In  1609  the  Company  chose  the  first  governor  and  lieuten- 
ant-governor, who  superseded  the  former  president ;  there  was 
also  a  council.  The  Company  continued  to  appoint  governors 
until  the  revocation  of  its  charter  in  1624,  after  which  the 
Executives  of  Virginia  were  appointed  by  the  King,  excepting 
during  the  period  from  1652  to  1660  when  they  were  elected 
by  the  House  of  Burgesses.  The  Council  were  the  governor's 
advisers  in  executive  matters.  They  constituted  the  General 
Court — the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Colony — and  were  also 
members  of  the  General  Assembly,  corresponding  to  the  pres- 
ent Senate  of  the  State.  Sometimes  they  acted  as  county 
lieutenants  or  commanders-in-chief  of  their  county. 

The  first  election  for  a  legislative  body  on  the  American 
Continent  was  held  in  Virginia,  in  1619,  when  the  planters 
were  given  a  hand  in  governing  themselves  through  the  elec- 
tion of  Burgesses — the  lower  house  of  Assembly. 


COUNTY    COURTS    IN    TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  18i 

In  1619  Governor  Yeardley  issued  a  proclamation  in 
accordance  with  his  "general  instructions  establishing  a 
Commonwealth,"  known  as  the  "  Great  Charter :"  "  That  all 
those  that  were  residents  at  the  departure  of  Sir  Thos.  Dale 
(April  161G)  should  be  freed  and  acquitted  from  such 
publique  services  and  labours  which  formerly  they  suffered, 
and  that  those  cruel  laws  by  which  we  had  so  long  been  gov- 
erned were  now  abrogated  by  those  free  laws  which  his 
majesties  subjects  live  under  in  Englande."  And  that  they 
might  have  a  hand  in  the  governing  themselves,  it  was  granted 
that  "  a  general  assembly  should  be  held  yearly  once,  whereat 
were  to  be  present  the  Governor  and  Counsell,  with  two  Bur- 
gesses from  each  Plantation  freely  to  be  elected  by  the  inhab- 
itants thereof;  the  Assembly  to  have  power  to  make  and 
ordaine  whatsoever  lawes  and  orders  should  by  them  be 
thought  good  and  profitable  for  our  subsistence." 

The  exact  date  of  this  first  election  in  America  is  not 
known;  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  some  time  in  June,  1619. 

In  1619  each  town,  hundred  and  plantation  was  to  be  incor- 
porated into  one  body  corporate  (a  borough),  and  each 
borough  had  the  right  to  elect  two  Burgesses  to  the  General 
Assembly,  hence  their  name  of  Burgesses,  from  Borough. 

One  of  the  Burgesses  describes  this  first  meeting  of  the 
General  Assembly  at  Jamestown  on  July  30,  1619,  as  follows: 

"  The  most  convenient  place  we  could  find  to  set  in  was  the 
Quire  of  the  Church,  where  Sir  Geo.  Yeardley,  the  Governor, 
being  sett  downe  in  his  accustomed  place,  those  of  the  Council 
of  Estate  sat  next  him  on  both  handes,  except  only  the  Secre- 
tary, then  appointed  speaker,  who  sat  right  before  him :  John 
Twine,  clerk  of  the  General  Assembly,  being  placed  next  the 
Speaker;  and  Thos.  Pierce,  the  serjeant,  standing  at  the 
barrc,  to  be  ready  for  any  service  the  Assembly  should  com- 
mand him.  All  the  Burgesses  took  their  places  in  the  Quire 
till  a  prayer  was  said  by  Mr.  Bucke,  the  minister,  that  it  would 


182  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

please  God  to  guide  and  to  sanctifie  all  our  proceedings  to  his 
owne  glory  and  to  the  good  of  this  Plantation.  Prayer  being 
ended  the  Burgesses  retired  to  the  body  of  the  church, 
where  they  were  called  by  order  and  by  name,  and  so 
every  man  (none  staggering  at  it)  took  the  oath  of  Supre- 
macy, and  then  entered  the  Assembly.  The  Council  had  been 
previously  sworn,  the  first  business  before  the  Assembly  was 
to  decide  who  were  entitled  to  sit  as  members.  The  Speaker, 
John  Pory  was  one  of  the  Council  of  State." 

The  General  Assembly  consisted  of  the  House  of  Burgesses 
and  the  Council  together  with  the  Governor.  They  sat  as  one 
body  until  the  time  of  Lord  Culpeper  who  brought  about  the 
separation  of  the  Council  from  the  Burgesses.  They  all  kept 
their  hats  on  in  session  in  token  of  authority.  All  the  acts 
of  Assembly  during  the  control  of  the  London  Company  were 
first  sent  to  England  for  their  approval  before  they  became 
laws.  The  Company  had  the  power  to  confirm  or  annul  the 
acts  of  the  Assembly. 

The  legislature  of  Virginia  has  ever  been  free  from  scandal 
excepting  during  the  short  period  of  "  Reconstruction,"  when 
there  were  some  adventurers,  known  as  "  carpet  baggers," 
seated  in  that  body.  The  members  from  the  rural  districts 
are  chosen  from  the  more  intelligent  and  highly  respected 
classes,  many  of  whom  are  lawyers,  or  country  gentlemen. 
Such  men  as  have  no  political  axes  to  grind,  and  who  would 
scornfully  refuse  to  turn  the  "  grindstone  of  legislation  "  for 
purposes  of  sharpening  the  venal  tools  of  others,  are  the  men 
as  a  rule,  selected  for  the  legislature  from  the  county 
districts. 

From  its  first  session  to  the  present  day,  its  membership  has 
had  upon  its  rolls  the  names  of  men  famous  as  orators,  states- 
men, and  jurists.  It  has  often  been  made  the  school  through 
which  were  graduated  some  of  the  Nation's  most  distinguished 
citizens. 

County  Courts  had  their  origin  in  1623  when  commanders 


COUNTY    COURTS    IN    TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  183 

of  plantations  first  held  court  under  Act  of  Assembly  passed 
in  that  year,  empowering  them  to  hold  monthly  courts  in  the 
corporations  of  Charles  City,  and  Elizabeth  City.  The  com- 
manders were  styled  "  judges  "  of  monthly  courts.  In  1628, 
Commissioners  succeeded  commanders  as  judges  of  monthly 
courts.  County  Courts  were  first  established  by  Act  of 
Assembly  in  1612.  The  jurisdiction  of  the  Court  was  then 
further  extended  to  sixteen  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco,  and 
the  monthly  courts  were  to  be  thereafter  called  "County 
Courts."  By  Act  of  November,  1615,  because  of  the  great 
distance  of  many  parts  of  the  colony  from  James  City,  where 
the  Quarter  Courts  were  held,  jurisdiction  was  given  to  the 
County  Courts,  in  all  cases  of  law  and  equity,  and  trial  by 
jury  secured  to  those  who  desired  it. 

In  1661  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  was  first  named 
such  by  Act  of  Assembly.  They  were  originally  called  Com- 
missioners. The  County  Courts  continued  under  the  juris- 
diction of  justices  of  the  peace  until  after  the  Civil  War. 
The  justices  of  the  peace  prior  to  and  during  the  Civil  War, 
were  selected  from  the  best  citizens  of  the  county— the  digni- 
fied, educated  and  often  wealthy  gentlemen. 

During  Reconstruction  days  pending  the  adoption  of  a 
new  Constitution,  the  old  Court  System  was  continued,  but 
the  justices  were  appointed  by  the  military  officer  in  charge  of 
the  State.  Owing  to  the  disfranchisement  clauses  in  these 
acts,  which  disqualified  many  of  the  most  intelligent  men  of 
the  State,  it  was  difficult  in  some  neighborhoods  to  obtain 
suitably  intelligent  men  to  fill  these  offices. 

The  writer  was  present  at  a  trial  conducted  during  Recon- 
struction Days  before  a  justice  of  the  peace  who  received 
his  appointment  from  General  Canby,  then  commanding 
in  Virginia.  The  case  was  a.  trivial  assault  upon  a  con- 
stable, by  throwing  a  bucket  of  slop  water  upon  his  head  from 
a  second  story  window  as  he  was  about  to  enter  a  carriage 


184  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

maker's  shop  to  serve  a  summons.  The  trial  was  an  amusing 
instance  of  ignorance  of  law  by  all  parties  engaged  in  it. 
The  justice  before  whom  the  trial  was  held  lived  in  a  two- 
room  weather-boarded  log  house.  This  dwelling  was  in  the 
midst  of  a  big  corn  field  through  which  a  narrow  road  led 
from  the  main  highway. 

At  the  appointed  hour  all  parties  interested  in  the  case, 
together  with  numerous  friends  of  the  defendant,  presented 
themselves  at  the  door  of  the  justice's  dwelling,  where  it  was 
ascertained  that  he  was  "  out  in  the  low  ground  a'  grubbin' 
an'  burnin'  bresh."  The  party  were  cordially  invited  into  the 
house  and  told  to  "rest  your  hats  upon  the  bed."  The 
crowd  filled  the  small  room  and  overflowed  to  the  threshold 
upon  which  two  or  three  found  a  resting  place. 

The  hostess  said  she  would  call  her  husband,  and  thereupon 
blew  two  long  blasts  in  a  "  conch  shell  horn  "  which  she  took 
from  a  shelf  close  to  the  doorway.  Soon  thereafter  the  man 
of  law  made  his  appearance  with  a  grubbing  hoe  under  his 
arm,  his  hat  in  one  hand,  and  a  big,  red  cotton  bandanna  hand- 
kerchief in  the  other  with  which  he  mopped  the  sweat  of  hon- 
est toil  from  a  bald  head.  He  cordially  shook  hands  with 
each  one — all  of  whom  he  knew  personally — and  civilly  in- 
quired about  the  health  of  their  families. 

This  gentleman  was  a  typical  poor  white  man  of  Tidewater 
Virginia;  an  honest,  industrious,  independent,  orderly  citi- 
zen, but  totally  illiterate,  and  therefore  unfitted  for  the  re- 
sponsible position  assigned  him.  During  the  trial,  his 
opinion  was  asked  in  a  certain  matter  of  law,  and  he  humor- 
ously replied :  "  I  don't  know  much  about  the  book  laws.  I 
never  went  to  school  but  two  days  in  my  life.  It  rained  like 
all  scissors  both  days,  and  the  teacher  didn't  come  nary  day  of 
the  two,  so  I  quit  wastin'  time  and  went  to  work,  and  I've 
been  at  work  ever  since.  I'll  think  this  thing  over,  an'  let  ye 
know." 


COUNTY    COURTS    IN    TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  185 

He  was  the  owner  of  a  considerable  number  of  acres  of  poor 
land  which  had  been  in  the  possession  of  his  ancestors  for 
generations  and  was  worked  by  all  of  these  several  generations 
without  adding  anything  to  improve  the  soil.  He  made  a  liv- 
ing for  himself  and  wife  by  his  own  industry  and  frugality, 
but  was  too  poor  to  own  servants.  He  took  no  part  in  the 
war,  and  was  not  an  advocate  of  secession ;  neither  did  he  hold 
office  before  the  war;  therefore  he  was  eligible  under  the  Ee- 
construction  Acts. 

The  Commonwealth  attorney  who  represented  the  plaintiff 
in  the  case  was  also  a  military  appointee ;  a  native  of  a  west- 
ern State,  fresh  from  his  graduating  class  in  a  law  school,  and 
without  knowledge  of  law  other  than  "  book  larnin'."  This 
was  his  first  case  in  a  "real  court  of  justice."  Unfortu- 
nately for  him,  his  "  law  library  "  consisted  of  his  answer  to 
the  "  Quiz  "  of  the  Court  before  whom  he  was  first  licensed, 
together  with  a  copy  of  "  Blackstone's  Commentaries/'  and  a 
book  on  "  Evidence." 

As  the  weather  was  warm  and  pleasant  outdoors,  and  the 
accommodations  within  the  house  were  too  limited  for  the 
assemblage,  it  was  suggested  that  the  trial  be  held  in  the 
shade  of  a  big  pine  tree  that  stood  nearby  and  adjoining  the 
"  worm  fence  "  which  enclosed  the  "  cuppen."  The  top  rails 
were  withdrawn  from  the  fence  and  inserted  between  the  lower 
rails  which  form  "the  worm"  of  the  several  panels,  and  the 
crowd  was  then  invited  to  seat  themselves  upon  these  rails 
where  they  could  rest  their  backs  against  the  fence.  The 
justice,  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  sat  himself  upon  the  front  board 
of  a  "  steer  kyart  "  which  stood  under  the  pine  tree.  As  soon 
as  he  steadied  himself  with  his  feet  upon  the  tongue  of  the 
cart,  the  Court  was  in  session  and  ready  for  business  regard- 
less of  a  crier. 

The  case  was  opened  by  the  young  Commonwealth  attorney 
who   stated   that   "  the   assault  was  made   by   wilfully   and 


186  LIFE    IN    OLD    VIRGINIA 

maliciously  casting  upon  the  garments  which  the  plaintiff 
then  wore,  upon  his  head  and  body,  the  contents  of  a  "  soak 
bucket/'  in  which  a  painter  used  to  soak  his  brushes.  He  de- 
claimed in  earnest  voice  upon  the  respect  due  an  officer  of  the 
law,  and  called  upon  the  constable  to  exhibit  the  hat  and  coat 
which  he  wore  upon  the  occasion  of  the  assault.  The  hat — an 
old  time  straight  sided  beaver — showed  up  like  a  barber's 
pole,  with  alternate  streaks  of  red,  white  and  red,  and  red, 
white  and  blue  paints  upon  it.  The  colors  on  the  coat  were 
so  closely  blended  and  widely  spread  about  as  to  unfit  that 
gaiment  for  future  wear. 

The  defendant  was  not  represented  by  a  legal  attorney,  but 
trusted  to  his  assembled  friends,  one  of  whom  was  the  brother 
of  the  former  Commonwealth's  attorney,  and  because  of  this 
close  kinship  alone,  he  was  accredited  with  much  knowledge 
of  law.  He  bravely  and  vigorously  maintained  his  suddenly 
acquired  fame  as  a  "  horseback  lawyer,"  by  interrupting  and 
correcting  the  prosecution  as  frequently  as  opportunity 
offered,  but  his  greatest  success  was  made  when  the  young 
attorney  proceeded  to  quote  from  his  copy  of  "  Blackstone." 
At  once  objection  was  made  to  quoting  "  Blackstone  on  the 
laws  of  Virginia"  and  the  Court  was  told  that  "  everybody  in 
the  county  knows  that  Blackstone  is  no  lawyer,  but  only  the 
keeper  of  a  summer  resort  on  Blackstone's  Island,  up  the 
Potomac  Bivcr,  on  the  Maryland  side,"  and  the  Court  was 
appealed  to  for  confirmation  of  this  fact.  To  this  the  justice 
assented,  as  he  had  often  passed  Blackstone's  Island  in  his 
trips  up  and  down  the  Potomac  while  on  his  way  to  and  from 
town. 

The  }roung  prosecuting  attorney  was  too  much  dazed  by  this 
unlooked  for  and  sudden  turn  in  the  case  to  discover  the 
humor  in  it,  and  before  he  could  recover  his  wits  and  make 
reply,  the  attention  of  the  justice  was  called  to  the  fact  that 
his  wife  was  making  frantic  efforts  to  drive  back  six  young, 


COUNTY   COURTS    IN    TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  187 

lively  shoats  'which  had  broken  loose  from  their  pen,  and  were 
working  destruction  in  the  young  corn  patch.  Here  was  the 
golden  opportunity  for  the  defendant  and  his  friends,  and 
after  a  hasty  whispering,  they  suggested  to  the  justice  that  he 
adjourn  court  awhile  and  they  would  "  run  the  shoats  down 
and  pen  them."  To  this  proposition  he  thankfully  agreed. 
Tearing  that  the  prosecution  might  benefit  by  their  absence, 
they  appointed  one  of  their  number  to  aid  the  justice  in  build- 
ing anew  the  pig  pen,  and  shedding  their  coats,  they  gave 
chase  to  the  flecty  shoats.  Of  all  the  domestic  animals  with 
which  man  is  blessed,  or  distressed,  there  are  none  so  difficult 
to  catch  and  hold,  as  young,  healthy  shoats  when  loose  in  a  big 
level  field.  It  is  said  "  they  can  beat  a  streak  of  greased  light- 
ning in  zigzagging,"  and  are  as  difficult  to  lay  hold  of  as  the 
Irishman's  proverbial  flea.  After  repeated  trials  to  corner 
and  capture  all  six  shoats  at  once,  the  crowd  finally  centered 
their  chase  upon  one  animal  at  a  time,  and  after  numerous 
upsets,  and  tumbles  over  one  another,  and  amusing  slips  of 
"  tail  holds,"  the  six  shoats  were  at  last  landed  within  the  pen 
by  the  perspiring  crowd  amid  the  grateful  acknowledgments 
of  his  honor,  the  justice,  who  was  not  aware  of  the  fact  that 
the  men  had  done  more  damage  to  the  young  corn  than  did 
the  shoats. 

As  it  was  then  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  all  parties  to  the 
trial  were  several  miles  from  their  respective  homes,  it  was 
suggested  to  the  justice  that  the  case  be  postponed  until  some 
more  convenient  date.  To  this  the  obliging  magistrate 
readily  agreed,  much  to  the  disgust  and  annoyance  of  the 
prosecution,  and  thus  ended  one  of  the  trials  before  a  justice 
'-f  the  peace  during  Reconstruction  days,  in  one  of  the  coun- 
ties of  the  "  Northern  Xeck  of  Virginia."  The  young  "  car- 
pet bag  "  Commonwealth  attorney,  when  the  State  was  re- 
admitted into  the  Union,  returned  to  his  western  home,  and 
was  lasl  hi  ard  of  as  a  candidate  on  the  Democratic  ticket  for 


1S8  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

Commonwealth  attorney.  The  old,  obliging  "  scalawag " 
justice  of  the  peace  has  long  since  passed  to  the  Higher  Court, 
and  it  is  yet  undecided  whether  the  assault  was  accidental,  or 
with  malice  aforethought. 

After  the  State  was  re-admitted,  County  Judges  were 
elected  by  the  legislature.  In  some  instances  they  had  more 
than  one  county  within  their  jurisdiction.  In  the  year  1904, 
the  system  was  changed  to  a  meeting  once  in  every  two 
months — six  courts  a  year,  under  the  jurisdiction  of  a  Judge 
of  the  Circuit  Court. 

The  custom  of  holding  court  in  each  county  every  month 
was  a  great  advantage  to  the  people  of  Tidewater  Virginia. 
As  stated  elsewhere,  these  several  counties  are  intersected  by 
numerous  rivers,  creeks,  or  coves,  which  extend  far  into  their 
interiors,  and  divide  the  lands  into  peninsulas,  great  and 
small.  Very  few  of  these  streams  are  crossed  by  bridges,  or 
have  regularly  kept  ferries,  and  can  therefore  be  crossed  only 
at  their  heads  by  long  detours.  Therefore,  the  county  court 
days,  and  the  "  Court  House  Bounds  "  were  most  frequently 
selected  as  the  more  convenient  times  and  places  to  meet  the 
many  with  whom  to  transact  business. 

The  "  Court  House  Bounds  "  is  usually  the  largest  village 
of  a  county,  and  generally  contains  at  least  one  or  two,  or 
more  taverns,  several  stores,  and  blacksmith,  wheelright  and 
harness  shops.  These  conveniences,  together  with  the  busi- 
ness of  the  court,  brought  together  vast  assemblages  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  respective  counties,  and  many  others  from 
the  adjoining  counties  where  they  were  sure  to  meet  neigh- 
bors, friends  and  acquaintances  from  far  and  near.  They 
came  from  all  directions  and  in  all  kinds  of  vehicles,  some 
afoot  and  many  on  horseback. 

On  court  days,  the  "  Court  House  Bounds  "  looked  like  a 
cavalry  camp.  Many  of  the  riders  came  there  with  their 
animals'  noonday  rations  of  ten  bundles  of  fodder  and  six 


COUNTY    COURTS   IX    TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  189 

ears  of  com  tied  behind  their  saddle.  They  "  hitched  "  their 
horses  or  mules  to  the  fences  and  "  horse  racks  "  in  the  vil- 
lage. In  the  summer  months  many  of  the  negroes  came  to 
court  in  their  bare  feet,  with  their  footwear  slung  over  their 
shoulder,  and  when  within  sight  of  the  "  Bounds  "  would  halt 
by  the  roadside  and  "  shoe  up." 

It  was  a  holiday  for  the  people  generally,  especially  before 
planting  time,  in  the  spring,  and  after  the  harvests,  in  the 
fall.  It  was  entertaining  to  a  stranger  to  see  this  great 
assemblage  of  decent,  orderly  citizens,  conducting  their  sev- 
eral transactions  in  the  most  quiet,  deliberate  manner,  with- 
out show  of  haste,  or  nervousness,  or  disorder.  Perhaps  no- 
where else  in  America  could  such  a  sight  be  witnessed  of  gen- 
tlemanly order  amongst  all  classes. 

This  custom  of  meeting  monthly  was  in  practice  from  the 
earliest  years  of  the  settlement  of  the  respective  counties,  and 
therefore  was  an  important,  time-honored  factor  in  the  busi- 
ness life  of  these  people.  While  the  business  of  the 
Court  was  being  held  inside  the  Court  House,  the  "  Court 
green"  was  occupied  by  the  multitude  assembled  in 
small  crowds  throughout  the  whole  village,  some  of  whom 
were  buying  or  selling  their  lands,  timber,  and  other  commo- 
dities, paying  off  old  debts,  or  contracting  new  ones;  others 
with  more  leisure  were  discussing  important  events,  or  telling 
yarns — humorously  denoted  as  "  swapping  lies." 

Candidates  for  office  met  on  these  occasions  and  greeted  the 
voters,  and  debated  with  one  another  in  the  Court  House,  if 
the  business  before  the  court  was  not  too  urgent  to  adjourn, 
and  if  so,  the  candidates  were  provided  with  an  improvised 
platform  of  dry  goods  boxes,  turkey  coops,  or  barrels.  Candi- 
dates readily  accommodate  themselves  to  any  emergencies 
when  seeking  tbe  suffrage  of  their  fellow  citizens.  The  im- 
provised platform  was  not  always  constructed  with  due  regard 
to  the  avoirdupois  of  the  occupant,  or  the  tests  to  which  ho 


190  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

might  put  it,  and  there  were  numerous  instances  of  amusing, 
though  not  fatal  casualties  resulting  therefrom.  During  one 
of  the  exciting  elections,  a  candidate  of  heavy  weight  was 
making  his  speech  from  the  head  of  a  whiskey  barrel, 
across  which  was  placed  a  narrow  board  for  his  safety.  In  his 
ardor  to  impress  a  certain  fact  upon  his  hearers,  which  he 
emphasized  by  the  statement :     "As  sure  as  I  stand  upon  this 

barrel ,"  and  with  this  sentence  unfinished,  he  leaped 

with  both  feet  from  the  narrow  plank  upon  the  yielding 
barrel  head,  and  disappeared  "  up  to  his  neck  in  spirits " 
which  the  anxious  crowd  had  hoped  to  put  into  their  own 
necks,  and  to  test  in  a  more  convivial  manner.  Through  this 
awkward  incident  of  his  canvas,  he  lost  his  election,  but 
thereby  acquired  fame  as  "  Old  Soak,"  which  name  ever  after- 
wards identified  him.  A  Virginia  audience  listens  well,  is 
courteous  to  strangers,  and  appreciative  of  humorous  wit  or 
salient  points  of  speech,  even  though  it  be  at  their  own  ex- 
pense.    They  love  to  "  see  the  fur  fly." 

The  following  lines  express  the  sentiments  of  a  freedrnan 
voter : 

LOOKIN'  FO'  DE  CANDEEDATE. 

Jes'  befo'  de  'lection 

He  cum  soon  an'  late, 
Now  I'se  gittin'  lonesome 

Waitin'  at  de  gate. 
Mistuh!  can  yo'  tell  me 

Whar  is  dat  Can-dee-date? 

Hope  de  Lawd  will  spar'  him, 
His  talk  was  powerful  great. 

I  'spect  he'll  do  a  heap 
Now  fo'  dis  ol'  state. 

Mistuh!  please  do  tell  me 

Whar  is  dat  Can-dee-date? 

Public  vendues  (auctions)  were  held  out  in  the  open  court 
green,  where  horses,  oxen,  mules,  cows,  and  "busted  mer- 


COUNTY   COURTS    IN    TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  191 

chants' "  goods  were  bid  upon  by  the  many,  and  but  few  of 
whom  knew  their  intrinsic  value.  Auction  bids  are  seldom 
correct  indexes  of  values.  Suits  of  clothing  were  purchased 
on  these  occasions  without  opportunity  to  "  try  the  fit,"  and 
therefore  without  due  regard  to  the  size  of  the  contemplated 
wearers,  the  result  of  which  was  that  the  purchaser  of  a  suit 
of  vendue  clothing  attended  the  following  Court  in  a  coat  he 
could  not  button  around  him,  and  a  pair  of  "high  water 
pants,"  too  short  by  many  inches. 

"  Swapping "  horses  is  a  custom  which  is  almost  exclu- 
sively confined  to  the  rural  sections  of  the  United  States. 
This  custom  prevails  to  a  greater  extent  in  the  States  south 
of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  than  elsewhere.  In  the  sections  of 
Virginia  remote  from  a  railroad,  nearly  every  man,  white 
and  colored  owns  either  a  horse,  or  mule,  or  yoke  of 
steers,  and  the  majority  of  the  owners  will  make  a  swap  of 
either  animal,  if  good  opportunity  offers. 

"  The  swapping "  was  conducted  usually  in  the  tavern 
"  horse  lot,"  after  some  "  sharp  talk,"  and  a  few  gallops  of 
the  animals,  up  the  road  and  back  again.  A  wily  "  swapper  " 
from  an  adjoining  county,  would  ride  through  the  "  Court 
House  Bounds "  upon  his  "  new,  jaunty  tail,  frisky  hoss," 
that  betokened  "  go  in  him,"  and  "  hard  to  hold."  Such  a 
swapper  was  sure  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  younger 
owners  of  horses.  None  but  the  poor  animal,  and  its  shrewd 
rider  knew  that  a  dried  chestnut  burr  under  the  crupper  was 
the  main  cause  of  its  friskiness,  and  if  a  "  swap  "  were  made 
and  the  dried  chestnut  burr  were  shed,  the  animal's  sudden 
loss  of  friskiness,  and  an  inspection  of  his  mouth,  would  dis- 
close the  fact  that  he  had  "cut  his  eye  teeth"  many  moons 
antedating  the  birth  of  his  new  owner.  The  loser  in  a  horse 
swap  at  one  court  was  a  winner  at  the  next  court,  else  he  had 
made  such  a  "  bad  swap  "  that  it  "  broke  him  up."  Every 
young  horse  owner,  at  some  time  or  another,  is  desirous  to 


192  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

make  a  swap.  The  earlier  in  life  lie  makes  the  swap  and 
"  gets  stuck  good  "  the  more  he  may  profit  in  after  years  by 
this  experience.  The  "  Court  House  Bounds  "  on  a  court  day, 
is  a  good  place  for  the  young  swapper  to  begin,  for  there  he  is 
sure  to  meet  with  friends  who  will  do  for  him  that  which  his 
newly  swapped  horse  may  refuse  to  do — carry  him  home. 

It  is  said  there  are  tricks  in  all  trades,  and  a  few  in  horse 
swapping.  Here  are  some  of  the  tricks  of  unscrupulous 
traders.  To  make  a  true  pulling  horse  balk,  mix  corrosive 
sublimate  and  tincture  of  cantharides  and  apply  it  to  his 
shoulders.  To  make  a  sound  horse  appear  lame,  a  single  hair 
is  taken  from  his  tail  and  run  through  the  eye  of  a  needle; 
the  front  leg  is  lifted,  the  skin  pressed  between  the  middle  and 
outer  tendon,  and  the  needle  shoved  through.  The  horse  will 
go  lame  in  twenty  minutes.  To  make  a  horse  stand  by  his 
food  and  not  eat  it,  grease  his  front  teeth  with  tallow,  and  he 
will  not  eat  until  it  is  washed  out.  A  fine  wire  fastened  tight 
around  the  fetlock  between  the  foot  and  heel  will  make  a 
horse  appear  as  if  badly  foundered.  When  a  horse  goes  dead 
lame  in  one  shoulder,  it  is  disguised  by  creating  a  similar 
lameness  in  the  corresponding  leg  by  taking  off  the  shoe  and 
inserting  a  bean  between  it  and  the  foot.  Black  spots  are  put 
on  a  horse  by  applying  a  mixture  of  lime  and  litharge.  To 
put  a  star  on  a  horse,  a  piece  of  cotton  cloth  the  size  of  the 
star  desired,  is  spread  on  the  part  and  warm  pitch  applied. 
After  two  days  it  is  washed  until  the  hair  grows  out  white. 

Court  day  was  a  holiday  for  many  of  the  negroes,  especially 
for  those  living  nearby  the  Court  House  village.  The  young 
negroes  had  no  serious  cares  for  the  future,  and  therefore  en- 
joyed themselves  in  wrestling,  and  kicking  bouts,  and  in 
dancing  "  Juba  patted  tunes,"  and  keeping  step  to  the  lively 
"  hoe  down  "  tunes  played  upon  a  jewsharp. 

The  elderly  and  thrifty  negroes — some  of  whom  their 
masters  permitted  to  "  fish  for  themselves  " — brought  fresh 


COUNTY    COURTS   IN    TIDEWATER    VIRGINIA  193 

fish,  oysters,  and  chicken  to  supply  the  hungry  crowds. 
Their  wives  did  the  cooking  in  the  open  Court  House  green, 
upon  a  fire  of  dry  "  light  wood  knots  "  and  faggots  which  they 
carried  in  ox  carts  from  their  homes  for  the  occasion.  Every 
Court  was  attended  by  several  "  black  mammies,"  who  came 
in  "  steer  kyarts,"  loaded  up  with  fish  "  jes'  fum  de  watah  dis 
mawnin'." 

Oysters  fresh  from  their  watery  beds:  "I  'clar  suh,  dey 
didn't  hav'  time  to  dry  darselves  'fore  I  fotch  'em  yere." 
They  had  young  tender  chickens  "  dress'd  by  can'el  light  dis 
mawnin',  so  nice  dar  mammys  wouldn't  know  'em  suh." 

"  Cose  I  fix  yo'  one !"  "  Honey,  yo'  sot  yo'se'f  down  on 
dat  box  dar,  an'  yo'  won't  stahve  to  death  waitin'  w'ile  I'se 
fryin'  dis  yere  one  fo'  yo'.  Does  yo'  laik  ash  cake  or  co'n 
pone  wid  yo'  chicken?  We  mos'  in  gin'ral  eats  ash  cake  wid 
our  fried  chicken,  an'  an'  co'n  pone  wid  our  b'iled  wittles. 
Yas  suh !     Dats  de  way  oP  Missus  she  fotch  us  up  suh !" 

"  It's  heap  o'  wuck  to  raise  chickens ;  dey  needs  lots  (f 
nussin'  'fore  dey's  able  to  care  fo'  deirselves.  Dey  has  a 
sight  o'  pips,  an'  gapes,  an'  wums  a  troublin'  'em.  We  mos* 
in  gin'ral  makes  'em  swaller  dar  pips,  an'  den  dey  won't  hev' 
gapes  so  bad.  An'  yo'  got  to  watch  out  fo'  dem  prowlin' 
ornary  chicken  hawks  w'at  flics  'bout  in  de  yair,  an'  pounces 
down  'pon  de  little  ones  'fore  yo'  'spects  dey's  any  whar's 
'bout  yo'  place.  W'en  dey  grabs  a  chicken,  'taint  no  use  fo' 
de  ol'  hen  to  make  a  racket,  kase  dat  chicken's  sho'  gone  fum 
'bout  yere. 

"  My  ol'  man  Isaac  he  fixes  contraptions  to  skeer  de  hawks, 
but,  Honey,  dey  aint  no  good,  dem  hawks  cum  an'  sot  down 
an'  res'  darselves  right  dar  on  top  o'  Isaac's  fixins  laik  it  war 
made  fo'  dem  to  res'  on.  Ef  Isaac  evah  seed  one  o'  dem 
hawks  a  settin'  dar,  I  'spect  he'd  cuss  ef  he  warn't  a  church 
member,  kase  he's  mighty  easy  upsot." 

The  rumor  that  the  dry  goods  box,  which  an  obliging 
13 


194  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

storekeeper  loaned  for  the  occasion  as  a  "  dining  table,"  was 
covered  with  "Aunt  Tilda's "  clean,  bed  sheet,  in  lieu  of  a 
table  cloth,  did  not  appear  to  diminish  her  trade.  The  food 
and  cooking  of  these  "  black  mammies  "  was  excellent.  They 
were  patronized  by  white  and  colored. 

Crime  and  commerce  are  the  principal  subjects  which 
bring  business  to  all  courts.  Owing  to  the  general  orderly 
condition  of  its  people,  the  courts  have  few  cases  of  crime 
upon  their  dockets,  and  seldom  are  these  of  a  seriously 
vicious  character. 

During  the  first  few  years  after  the  Civil  War,  there  was 
some  petty  pilfering  by  a  few  of  the  negroes.  They  would 
take  a  few  fowls,  or  a  "  turn  of  fodder "  or  corn,  or  some 
trifling  amount  of  food  to  tide  them  over  some  "  resting 
spell,"  during  the  period  they  were  determining  whether 
freedom  meant  all  play  or  some  labor.  The  white  people  who 
suffered  from  these  annoyances  were  generally  lenient  when 
the  culprit  was  detected  and  often  would  go  bail  for  the  re- 
lease and  future  good  behavior  of  the  prisoner.  Some  of  the 
magistrates'  trials  of  these  offences  were  amusing  instances 
of  the  simplicity  of  Tidewater  Virginia  justice,  and  of  the 
kindly,  forbearing  nature  of  the  whites  toward  the  colored 
during  these  years. 

A  certain  negro  named  "  Major  " — no  one  ever  knew  him 
by  any  other  name — was  haled  before  a  magistrate  for  steal- 
ing a  turkey,  and  when  confronted  with  the  evidence  of  his 
guilt,  the  magistrate  said:  "Well  boy,  (forty  years  old,) 
what  have  you  to  say  about  this  ?"  to  which  Major  replied : 

"Jedge,  it  happen'd  dis  yere  way.  I  was  tukken  down 
wid  a  misery  in  ma  side,  an'  I  wa'nt  able  to  go  to  cuttin'  no 
co'd  wood  laik  I'd  bin  a  doin',  an'  jus  as  I  wuz  a  gwine  to  de 

sto'  to  ax  Mistuh  B to  lemme  hav'  a  few  poun's  o' 

bacon  'twill  I  gits  rid  o'  de  misery  in  ma  side,  an'  den  as  I 
cums  pas'  Mistah  C 's  cuppen  fence  dar  sot  dis  yere 


COUNTY    COURTS    IN    TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  195 

young  turkey  right  dar,  suh,  and  I  sez  to  mase'f,  ef  de  Lawd 

spars  me  I  shore  gwine  cut  Mistuh  C a  co'd  an'  a  ha'f  uv 

good  wood  fo'  dis  yere  tukkey.  Dat's  jes'  wat  I  say,  I  aint 
tellin'  yo'  no  lie,  suh.  I  suttinly  will  wo'k  out  dat  tukkey, 
shore's  I  live.  Wen  I  tuk  dat  tukkey  I  didn't  hav'  grease 
enuff  in  ma  cabin  to  grease  a  spider.  I  don  et  it  all  up  'fore 
I  seed  dat  tukkey.  Dat's  how  cum  I  taik  dat  tukkey.  I  clar 
'fore  de  Lawd  dis  is  de  fust  time  I  evah  was  kotched  takin' 
tukkey  in  ma  life." 

Major's  bail  for  future  apearance  at  court  when  called  and 
for  his  future  good  behavior,  was  fixed  at  a  small  sum,  and 
an  old  ex-Confederate  soldier — who  knew  that  turkeys  roost- 
ing on  a  nearby  fence  are  great  temptations — joined  in  the 
bond,  and  Major  was  again  a  free  man  and  his  future  trial 
was  never  fixed.  He  "  jined  "  the  church,  and  ever  after  was 
an  orderly  citizen.  In  recognition  of  his  future  good  be- 
havior, the  writer  loaned  him  a  newly  painted  wheelbarrow — 
to  which  he  had  taken  a  great  fancy — to  wheel  his  child  to 
"  'tracted  meetin',"  some  four  or  five  miles  distant.  Thus  it 
is  that  virtue  receives  its  reward  in  Tidewater  Virginia. 

The  judges  of  the  courts  are  selected  from  amongst  the 
members  of  the  local  bar.  They  are  usually  natives  of  that 
section  over  which  they  have  jurisdiction,  and  are  therefore 
well  informed  as  to  the  character  of  its  people,  and  conver- 
sant with  their  daily  modes  of  life.  In  the  administration  of 
justice,  information  of  such  character  is  an  aid  to  a  judge  in 
tempering  justice  with  mercy,  especially  if  the  Court  has  the 
heart  like  unto  a  Tidewater  Judge.  All  courts  of  law  are 
hedged  with  technicalities  more  or  less,  but  the  people  of  this 
section,  and  the  courts  are  more  anxious  to  reach  the  truth  of 
a  legal  problem  by  a  just  and  righteous  inquiry  than  through 
technicalities  of  law  which  may  distort  and  pervert  the  ends 
of  justice. 

There  is-  a  genteel,  gruel  dignity  in  the  Virginia  Judge,  but 


196  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

it  partakes  nothing  of  the  overwise,  and  solemn  countenance 
which  so  often  betokens  the  "  man  of  law  "  in  many  other 
sections  of  the  United  States.  "  The  judge  "  is  one  of  the 
people's  choice,  and  respected  accordingly.  When  not  in  his 
court  "he  is  one  of  the  people."  In  addition  to  his  court 
duties  he  is  frequently  the  owner  of  lands  which  claim  his 
attention,  and  often  his  personal  aid  in  their  cultivation. 

The  laws  are  administered  in  Virginia  with  the  least  degree 
of  harshness,  and  to  all  classes  alike.  No  taint  of  dishonor 
has  ever  been  justly  made  against  the  judiciary  of  this  section. 

The  Tidewater  Virginia  Judge  of  the  rural  districts,  is 
well-known  and  readily  recognized  by  all  persons,  white  and 
black,  young  and  old,  within  his  circuit,  and  when  passing 
along  the  public  highways,  he  is  constantly  being  saluted  by 
the  passers-by  as  "  Judge." 

To  one  accustomed  to  such  familiar  and  friendly  recogni- 
tion it  is  a  shock  for  him  to  reach  a  place  where  he  is  totally 
unknown  and  the  old-time  friendly  recognition  ceases. 

One  of  those  courtly  Virginia  judges,  named  C , 

from  one  of  "  The  Peninsula  "  counties,  had  occasion  to  visit 
New  York  City,  and  upon  his  return  to  his  native  heath  was 
asked  how  he  liked  the  big  city,  to  which  he  replied : 

New  York  City,  suh !  I  was  there  nearly  two  days,  suh, 
and  not  a  single  person  stopped  to  say  "  Howdy  "  to  me,  nor 
even  recognized  me.  I  want  nothing  more  to  do  with  such  an 
uncivil  place,  suh !  I'm  glad  to  be  back  amongst  people  who 
have  time  and  inclination  to  be  decent." 

The  lawyers  and  doctors  of  Virginia,  outside  of  the 
cities,  are  usually  land  owners,  and  like  the  judges,  they 
may  be  found  with  their  hands  to  the  plow,  or  in  directing 
their  employees  where  to  "  run  the  furrow." 

The  country  lawyer,  and  country  doctor  need  to  be  generally 
well  informed  in  their  respective  professions.  The  "  special- 
ties "  of  law,  or  of  physic  in  that  section  are  not  of  sufficient 


COUNTY    COURTS   IN   TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  197 

magnitude  as  to  induce  one  to  confine  himself  to  "special 
practice."  The  rural  life,  therefore,  forces  the  practitioner 
to  efforts  which  city  life  does  not  demand. 

Country  lawyers,  and  country  doctors,  unlike  their  city 
brothers,  take  active  parts  in  the  social  and  industrial  condi- 
tions which  surround  them,  and  are,  therefore,  useful  mem- 
bers in  the  life  of  their  respective  communities  for  advice, 
counsel,  and  aid  in  matters  of  import  outside  of  their  respec- 
tive sehools  of  thought. 

The  doctor  seldom  engages  in  political  debate;  he  leaves 
that  field  open  to  his  more  combative  brother  of  the  bar. 
The  doctor  will  draw  blood  only  in  the  effort  to  save  life. 
The  lawyer  will  seek  eye  for  eye,  and  tooth  for  tooth  when  hia 
client  is  wrathy  and  demands  the  Levitical  law. 

The  lawyers  of  America,  especially  those  born  and  reared 
within  the  rural  sections,  and  in  the  smaller  towns,  and  who 
might  be  classed  as  "  country  lawyers,"  have  taken  prominent 
places  in  the  councils  of  this  nation  from  its  foundation  to 
the  present  day.  They  were  signers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  many  of  them  have  filled  the  chair  of  the 
Chief  Executive  of  this  nation. 

Nearly  every  lawyer  in  Tidewater  Virginia  is  a  politician, 
at  least  to  the  extent  of  speech  making  for  their  political 
party.  They  are  the  class  of  men  from  amongst  whom  came 
Patrick  Henry,  Henry  Clay,  Henry  A.  Wise,  and  other 
orators,  and  statesmen,  as  well  as  jurists  of  historic  renown. 
The  lawyers  frequent  many  county  courts.  They  "ride  the 
circuit "  in  search  of  business,  and  it  is  of  frequent  occur- 
rence that  upon  entering  a  distant  court  house,  they  may  be 
engaged  to  take  charge  of  a  case  in  court  without  a  moment's 
preparation,  other  than  a  hurried  consultation,  but  their  wide 
and  extensive  acquaintance  with  the  people  of  all  classes  resi- 
dent within  their  practice,  together  with  their  general  knowl- 
edge of  law,  are  their  aids  in  such  emergencies.     They  are 


198  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

usually  good  judges  of  human  nature,  and  can  lay  bare  its 
frailties  and  weaknesses  in  open  court  with  eloquent  tongue. 
As  a  rule  they  reside  at  the  court  houses. 

The  lawyer  of  early  years  of  the  colony  was  paid  his  fees  in 
tobacco,  and  when  he  got  a  case  in  court,  he  probably  tried  to 
"  make  things  smoke." 

If  the  court  session  was  prolonged  until  late  in  the  evening, 
the  members  of  the  court  and  bar  spent  the  night  at  the 
village  tavern. 

Before  the  introduction  of  stoves — they  were  not  in  general 
use  in  the  rural  sections  until  several  years  after  the  Civil 
War — the  big  fire  place  of  the  tavern,  which  emitted  bright 
and  cheerful  glows,  was  the  scene  of  much  comfort  and  en- 
joyment during  the  winter  court'  nights.  Then  it  was  that 
the  judge,  the  lawyers,  the  summoned  jurymen,  and  officers 
of  the  court,  and  persons  whose  business  detained  them  over 
night,  assembled  around  the  capacious  hearth  and  engaged  in 
friendly  discussions,  and  relations  of  witty  and  humorous 
stories.  Every  Virginian  is  fond  of  a  story,  provided  it  is 
devoid  of  gross  vulgarity.  The  lawyers  are  usually  good 
story  tellers,  and  it  is  said  the  judges  of  Virginia  are  able 
to  hold  their  end  up  when  occasion  arises.  It  was  rumored 
that  the  late  hours  of  the  nights  spent  at  the  tavern  were  often 
enlivened  by  "  a  gentleman's  game  "  of  draw-poker — played 
for  sport  and  not  for  gain. 

It  is  said  there  is  a  chapel  in  Eome  dedicated  to  one  Saint 
Evona,  a  lawyer.  He  came  to  Eome  to  entreat  the  Pope  to 
give  the  lawyers  of  Brittany  a  patron.  The  Pope  replied 
that  he  knew  of  no  saint  but  what  was  disposed  of  to  other 
professions,  and  he  had  none  to  spare  for  the  lawyers,  at 
which  Evona  was  very  sad,  and  begged  so  earnestly  that  at 
last  the  Pope  proposed  to  him  that  he  should  go  around  the 
church  blindfolded,  and  after  he  had  said  so  many  prayers, 
that  the  first  saint  in  the  group  which  he  might  lay  hold  of 


COUNTY    COURTS    IN    TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  199 

while  blindfolded,  should  be  the  patron  of  lawyers.  The 
good  old  lawyer  started  in  his  round,  and  at  the  end  of  his 
prayers  he  stopped  at  an  altar,  reached  out  his  hand  and  laid 
hold  of  the  image  of  the  devil  which  lay  at  the  feet  of  St. 
Michael,  and  cried  out  in  his  blindness  "  This  is  our  Saint ; 
let  him  be  the  patron  of  my  profession — the  law."  Upon 
the  removal  of  his  blindfold,  and  observing  what  a  patron  he 
had  chosen,  he  was  shocked  to  death,  and  coming  to  Heaven's 
gate,  he  knocked  hard,  whereupon  St.  Peter  asked  "  who  it 
was  that  knocked  so  loudly;"  he  replied  that  it  was  "  Evona 
the  advocate."  "  Away,  away,"  said  St.  Peter,  "  there  is  but 
one  advocate  in  Heaven;  there  is  no  room  for  you  lawyers." 
"  0  !  but,"  said  Evona,  "  I  am  that  honest  lawyer  who  never 
took  fees  on  both  sides,  or  ever  pleaded  in  a  bad  cause,  nor  did 
I  ever  set  my  neighbor  by  the  ears,  or  lived  by  the  sins  of  the 
people."  "Well  then,"  said  St.  Peter,  "come  in,"  and 
thereupon  St.  Peter  sent  an  angel  to  the  earth  to  inscribe 
upon  the  tombstone  of  St.  Evona : 

"  God  works  wonders  now  and  then, 
Here  lies  a  lawyer,  an  honest  man." 

It  is  agreed  that  this  epitapli  is  suited  to  Virginia  lawyers. 

In  1643,  the  first  act  was  passed  for  regulating  lawyers. 
No  attorney  was  permitted  to  plead  without  a  license,  which 
was  granted  by  the  court  in  which  he  practiced.  Their  fees 
were  twenty  pounds  of  tobacco  in  the  county  courts,  and  fifty 
pounds  in  the  Quarter  Courts,  and  no  attorney  could  refuse 
to  be  retained  unless  employed  on  the  other  side. 

In  1647,  that  act  was  amended  by  adding  a  clause  to  it 
declaring  that  no  attorneys  should  take  any  fees,  and  if  the 
Court  should  perceive  that  either  party,  by  their  weakness, 
was  likely  to  lose  his  case,  they  themselves  should  either  open 
the  case  "  or  appoint  some  fit  man  out  of  the  people  to  plead 
the  cause,  and  allow  him  a  reasonable  compensation."     No 


200  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

other  attorneys  were  admitted.  This  act  was  repealed  in 
165G. 

Act  of  1680  declared  that  "  no  licensed  attorney  should  de- 
mand or  receive  for  bringing  any  cause  to  judgment  in  the 
general  court,  more  than  500  lbs.  of  tobacco  and  cask;  and  in 
the  County  Court,  150  lbs.  of  tobacco  and  cask;  which  fees 
are  allowed  him  without  any  pre-agreement."  "  If  any  attor- 
ney shall  refuse  to  plead  any  cause  in  the  respective  courts 
aforesaid,  for  the  aforesaid  fees,  he  shall  forfeit  as  much  as 
his  fees  should  have  been." 

The  attorneys  of  those  days  could  hardly  "  pocket  their 
fees ;"  they  had  to  "  bag  them." 

In  many  of  the  counties  are  preserved  curious  wills  and 
orders  of  Court.  The  following  copy  of  a  will  for  probate  in 
York  County,  Virginia,  in  1637,  is  interesting: 

"  At  a  court  holden  att  ye  house  of  Mr.  Richard  Townsend  ye 
25th  day  of  May  1637.  Present  Capt.  Christopher  Wormsley, 
Capt.  Robt.  Fellgate,  Mr.  John  Chew,  Mr.  Richard  Townshend, 
Mr.  John  Cheeseman,  Mr.  Will  Pryor,  Mr.  Hugh  Owen. 

In  the  name  of  God  Amen.  This  will  and  Testament  being  the 
last  Will  and  Testament  of  Andrew  Whorvell,  made  the  tenth 
of  March  1631,  being  in  his  perfect  senses  as  ever  he  was  in  his 
life  time.  Witnesseth  That  I  make  Christopher  Stokes  my  law- 
ful overseer  to  see  that  the  tendure  of  this  my  will  be  performed 
as  followeth — 

First.  I  bequeath  my  soul  to  Almighty  God,  my  maker,  and 
my  body  to  be  buryed  in  the  Ground  and  for  my  worldly  Wealth 
that  itt  hath  pleased  God  to  endow  me  with  as  followeth — 

Item.  I  give  unto  my  brother  Nathaniell  Clarke  one  sow  pig 
the  whitch  my  father  doth  owe  me  and  one  Barrel  of  Corn  when 
he  is  one  and  twenty  years  of  age  and  two  hens  presently. 

Item.  I  give  unto  my  Sister  Bettie  Clarke  three  barrels  of 
Indian  come  and  one  pullett  and  one  sow. 

Item.  I  give  unto  my  father  Joseph  Jolly  one  sow  pigg,  and 
one  barrow  pigg. 

Item.    I  give  unto  my  mother  Margaret  Jolly  one  barrow  pigg. 

Item.  The  three  barrels  of  Corne  that  I  give  unto  my  Sister 
Bettie  Clarke  is  to  be  put  to  use  till  that  she  cometh  to  age  and 


COUNTY    COURTS    IN   TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  201 

the  sow  that  I  give  her  they  that  keep  her  till  that  she  cometh 
to  age  are  to  have  of  the  increase  all  the  bore  piggs  and  the 
sow  piggs  to  be  putt  to  the  best  use  till  that  she  cometh  of  age. 
Witness  my  hand  this  day  and  year  first  above  written. 

Andrew  Whobvell,  his  X  mark." 

Will  of  Kichard  Coles  of  "Westmoreland,  proved  in  1674. 

Item.  It  is  my  will  and  desire  that  my  body  be  interred  upon 
Poynt  Pleasant,  upon  my  plantation,  in  a  neat  coffin  of  black  wal- 
nut, if  conveniently  be  had,  and  that  a  grave  stone  of  black  marble 
be  with  all  convenient  speed  sent  for  out  of  England,  with  my 
Coat  of  Arms  engraven  in  brass,  and  under  it  this  epitaph: 

Here  lies  Dick  Cole,  a  grevious  sinner, 
That  died  a  little  before  dinner, 
Yet  hopes  in  Heaven  to  find  a  place 
To  satiate  his  soul  with  Grace. 

Item.  I  will  that  my  grave  stone  be  raised  with  Dutch  brickes 
above  three  foot  from  the  ground,  and  my  grave  be  paled  in 
with  posts  and  rails  of  locust,  and  white  oke  boards  of  a  double 
substance,  and  under  them  locust  sills,  and  if  my  wife  think  it 
expedient  to  sell  ye  land  that  the  vendee  or  vendees  be  obliged 
forever  to  keep  my  grave  in  repair." 

The  following  order,  celebrating  the  birth  of  a  Prince  of 
Wales,  in  Old  Rappahannock  County,  now  Essex  and  Rich- 
mond counties,  is  interesting: 

"  At  a  court  held  for  Rappahannock  County  the  2d  day  of 
Jany  Anno  Dom,  1688. 

Present— Col.  Jno.  Stone,  Capt.  Geo.  Taylor,  Capt.  Saml.  Blum- 
field,  Mr.  Jno.  Rice,  Justices. 

It  having  pleased  Almighty  God  to  bless  his  Royal  Majesty 
with  the  birth  of  a  son  and  his  subjects  with  a  Prince  of  Wales, 
and  for  as  much  as  his  Excellency  hath  sett  apart  the  16th  day 
of  this  inst.  Jany,  for  solemnizing  the  same;  To  this  end,  there- 
fore, that  it  may  be  done  with  all  expression  of  Joy  this  county 
is  capable  of,  This  Court  have  ordered  that  Capt.  George  Taylor 
do  provide  and  bring  to  the  North  Side  Court  House  for  this 


202  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

County  (now  Richmond)  as  much  Rum  and  other  strong  liquor, 
with  Sugar  proportionable,  as  shall  amount  to  six  thousand  five 
hundred  pounds  of  Tobacco,  to  be  distributed  amongst  the  Troops 
of  horse,  company  of  foot  and  other  persons  that  shall  be  pres- 
ent at  the  solemnitie,  and  that  said  sum  be  allowed  him  at  the 
next  laying  of  the  levy;  as  also,  that  Cap.  Saml.  Blumfield  provide 
and  bring  to  the  Soutli  Side  Court  House  for  this  County,  (now 
Essex)  as  much  Rum  or  other  strong  Liquor,  with  sugar  propor- 
tionable, as  shall  amount  to  3500  lbs.  of  Tobacco,  to  be  distributed 
as  above,  at  the  South  Side  Court  House  and  the  said  sum  to  be 
allowed  him  at  the  next  laying  of  the  levy." 

Note  also  the  following: 

"  A  court  at  James  citty  the  17  Sept.  1627  present  Sir  George 
Yeardley,  Knt,  Governor,  Dr.  Pott,  Capt.  Smyth  and  Mr.  Secre- 
tary, Divers  examinations  being  taken  and  had  concerning  the 
unquiett  life  wch  ye  people  of  Archers  Hope  lead  through  the 
scoldinges  raleings  and  failings  out  wth  Amy  the  wife  of  Christ- 
opher Hall  and  other  abominable  contencions  happening  between 
them  to  the  dishonour  of  God  and  the  breach  of  the  Kings 
peace,  the  Court  hath  thereupon  ordered  that  the  said  Amy  shall 
be  toughed  (towed)  round  about  the  "  Margarett  and  John  "  and 
ducked  three  times." 

The  "Margaret  and  John"  was  a  vessel  anchored  near 
Archers  Hope,  the  place  where  the  colony  would  have  first 
settled  upon  but  for  the  shallow  waters  near  the  shore. 

Some  of  the  laws  of  the  early  days  are  also  interesting: 

'  The  court  in  every  county  shall  cause  to  be  set  up  near 
the  Court  house,  a  pillory,  a  pair  of  stocks,  a  whipping  post, 
and  a  ducking  stool,  in  such  place  as  they  shall  think  con- 
venient." ....  Laws  of  1662. 

"  In  actions  of  slander  occasioned  by  a  man's  wife,  after 
judgment  passed  for  damages  the  woman  shall  be  punished 
by  ducking,  and  if  the  slander  be  such  as  the  damages  shall 
be  adjudged  above  500  pounds  of  tobacco,  then  the  woman 
shall  have  ducking  for  every  500  pounds  of  tobacco  adjudged 
against  her  husband ;  if  he  refuse  to  pay  the  tobacco."  Laws 
of  1662. 


COUNTY    COURTS    IN    TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  203 

Lord  Culpeper,  writing  in  1GS3  said  the  Secretary  (of 
State)  was  a  patent  officer,  from  the  first  seating  of  the  country, 
the  very  next  in  dignity  to  the  Governor,  or  Commander-in- 
Chief.  He  had  the  right  to  appoint  all  County  Clerics.  He 
was  keeper  of  the  colonial  seal  and  ex-officio  clerk  of  the 
Council  and  General  Court,  though  the  duties  of  these  offices 
were  actually  performed  by  the  titular  clerks  of  the  respective 
bodies.  The  clerks  of  the  courts  in  Tidewater  Virginia  are 
among  the  most  competent  and  obliging  of  its  officials,  and 
mainly  for  these  reasons  are  the  less  affected — of  the  county 
officers — by  the  political  changes  which  occur  at  the  regular 
elections.  Many  of  them  went  into  these  offices  as  deputies 
to  their  fathers  in  their  first  years  of  manhood,  and  were  con- 
tinued there  as  long  as  they  lived. 

"  Well  done  thou  good  and  faithful  servant "  can  truthfully 
be  inscribed  upon  the  tombs  of  the  clerks  of  courts  in  Vir- 
ginia. 

The  old  time  court  house  buildings  which  were  usually  but 
one  story  in  height  are  being  supplanted  either  by  entirely 
new  structures,  or  by  additions  to  them  of  modern  improve- 
ments and  shapes,  which  in  many  cases  have  obliterated  all 
semblance  of  their  original  style  of  architecture.  The  court 
rooms  of  the  old  time  buildings  were  upon  the  first  floor; 
large  and  airy  in  summer,  and  cold  and  draughty  in  winter. 
In  the  improved  buildings,  the  court  rooms  are  generally 
situated  upon  the  upper  floors,  which  are  well  lighted  and 
heated,  and  comfortable  during  all  seasons.  The  walls  of 
some  of  the  court  rooms  are  decorated  with  tablets  of  stone 
and  portraits,  containing  the  names  and  services  of  local  offi- 
cials; they  also  contain  the  portraits  of  many  distinguished 
men  of  both  state  and  national  fame,  who  were  born  within 
these  several  counties,  or  who  made  their  homes  therein  dur- 
ing a  period  of  their  lives. 

The  judicial  circuit  presided  over  by  Hon.  Judge  T.  R.  B. 
Wright,  which  compri  ■<•■  the  counties  of  Lancaster,  Northum- 


204  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

berland,  Eichmond,  and  Westmoreland,  in  the  "  Northern 
Neck  "  peninsula,  and  the  county  of  Essex,  in  the  "  Middle- 
sex "  peninsula,  contains  the  largest  collection  of  tablets  and 
portraits  perhaps,  of  any  circuit  in  the  State.  The  collections 
within  this  circuit  include  Presidents  of  the  United  States, 
Cabinet  officers  of  the  Chief  Executive,  Judges,  Jurists,  and 
Statesmen  of  renown.  There  are  also  portraits  of  distin- 
guished soldiers  of  every  war  in  which  the  nation  has  been  a 
participant,  from  the  Eevolutionary  to  the  Civil  War. 

Among  the  more  prominent  portraits  are  those  of  George 
Washington,  and  Eobert  E.  Lee,  upon  the  walls  of  Westmore- 
land Court  House. 

Eoger  Jones,  Adjutant  General  of  the  United  States  Army, 
and  Edwin  Bates,  Attorney  General  in  President  Lincoln's 
Cabinet,  are  found  upon  the  walls  of  Northumberland  Court 
House. 

Upon  the  walls  of  Essex  Court  House  are  many  tablets  of 
stone  containing  the  names  of  soldiers  of  the  Confederacy, 
among  whom  are  several  of  Pickett's  famous  Division. 
Among  the  portraits  is  that  of  Hon.  E.  M.  T.  Hunter,  a  dis- 
tinguished member  of  the  United  States  House  of  Eepresen- 
tatives  for  many  years,  and  a  member  of  the  United  States 
Senate  from  his  native  State  (Virginia)  when  the  Civil  War 
began.  Whilst  a  member  of  Congress,  he  originated  the 
bonded  warehouse  system,  under  which  imported  goods  were 
permitted  to  remain  in  Government  warehouses  until  the 
owners  desired  to  put  them  upon  the  market,  paying  the  duties 
at  the  time  of  withdrawal.  He  was  a  prominent  candidate  for 
the  Presidency  in  1860.  When  Virginia  seceded,  he  resigned 
his  seat  in  the  Senate  and  was  afterwards  Secretary  of  State 
of  the  Confederacy  in  President  Davis'  Cabinet.  He  was  one 
of  the  three  Confederate  Commissioners  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Davis  to  treat  for  peace  with  President  Lincoln  and 
Secretary  Seward  at  the  Fortress  Monroe  Convention.  In 
1874  he  was  elected  Treasurer  of  Virginia.  He  died  in 
Essex  County,  July  18,  1887. 


Stratford,   Birthplace  of  General  R.   E.  Lee. 

The  room  in  which  he  was  horn  is  indicated  by  the  open  window  to  the  right. 


Sherwood   Forest,  home  ol   President  Tyler. 


CHAPTEE  XVIII 
Country  Roads   in  Tidewater  Virginia. 


When  the  colonists  reached  Virginia  there  were  no  roads, 
public  or  private,  laid  out  upon  this  continent.  There  was 
no  necessity  for  such  openings  through  the  lands  and  forests 
of  America  as  are  now  known  as  public  roads  or  highways. 
The  Indians  trafficked  only  in  such  articles  as  they  could 
shoulder.  They  did  not  know  the  use  of  metals  and  there- 
fore had  no  weighty  material  to  transport  such  as  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  and  if  necessity  arose  for  roadways  they  had  no  im- 
plements with  which  to  construct  them.  They  were  content 
to  march  in  single  file  when  journeying.  They  had  no  draft 
animals,  nor  vehicles  for  carriage  or  transportation  other  than 
boats,  many  of  which  were  constructed  of  material  so  light  in 
weight  as  to  admit  of  their  portage  from  stream  to  stream 
upon  the  shoulders  of  men. 

When  the  colonists  extended  their  settlements  into  the  in- 
teriors of  the  peninsulas,  away  from  the  navigable  streams, 
and  when  public  places  were  established,  such  as  churches, 
court  houses,  and  grist  mills,  there  arose  a  necessity  for  roads, 
but  such  roads  as  were  constructed  in  the  early  years  of  the 
settlement,  though  their  construction  was  forced  by  acts  of 
assembly,  were,  nevertheless,  nothing  more  than  bridle 
paths. 

Act.  L,  1G32  provided :  "  Highwayes  shall  be  layd  out  in 
such  convenient  places  as  are  requisite  accordinge  as  the 
Governor  and  Council,  or  the  Commissioners  for  the  monthlie 
corts  shall  appoynt,  or  according  as  the  parishioners  of  every 
parish  shall  agree." 

Act  IX,  1657  provided  for  surveyors  of  "High  Waise." 

[  205  1 


206  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

"  That  surveyors  of  highwaise  and  maintenance  for  bridges  be 
yearly  kept  and  appointed  in  each  Co-untie  Court  respectively, 
and  that  all  generall  wayes  from  county  to  county  and  all 
churchwaies  to  be  laid  out  and  cleered  yeerly  as  each  county 
court  shall  think  fit,  needful  and  convenient,  respect  being 
had  to  the  course  in  England  to  that  end." 

In  1661  Act  LXXXIX,  provided  for  the  yearly  appoint- 
ment of  surveyors  of  the  highways  by  the  justices  of  the  peace 
to  "lay  out  the  most  convenient  wayes  to  the  church,  to  the 
court,  and  make  the  said  wayes  40  foote  broad,  and  make 
bridges  where  there  is  occasion." 

The  surveyors  were  also  directed  to  keep  the  "  wayes " 
clear  from  fallen  logs,  and  the  bridges  in  good  repair.  They 
were  empowered  "  to  order  the  parishioners  everyone  accord- 
ing to  the  number  of  tithables  he  hath  in  his  family,  to  send 
upon  the  dayes  by  the  surveyors  appointed  to  help  them  in 
cleering  the  wayes  and  making  and  repairing  the  bridges 
according  to  the  intent  and  purpose  of  this  act."  There  were 
penalties  attached  payable  in  tobacco  for  neglect  to  perform 
these  duties. 

Building  roadways  through  the  primeval  forests,  and  over 
low  bottom  lands,  and  marshy  grounds,  and  bridging  numer- 
ous streams,  was  a  mighty  laborious  undertaking  at  the  early 
period  of  Virginia's  settlement,  especially  if  this  task  were  to 
be  done  by  the  single  individual  and  not  by  the  collective 
community. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  each  seating  place  of  a  planter  when 
first  settled  upon  was  devoid  of  any  passageway  or  roadway 
to  or  from  his  home  in  the  primeval  wilderness  connecting 
him  with  the  outside  world,  and  because  of  the  gigantic  task 
of  road  building  many  of  the  settlers  postponed  this  work, 
thus  placing  their  homes  remote  from  all  intercourse  with  the 
public  highways  and  beyond  the  reach  of  their  fellow  man. 
So  common  was  this  condition  that  the  general  assembly 
deemed  it  necessary  to  enact  laws  compelling  the  opening  of 
roads  to  "  houses  and  plantations." 


COUNTRY    EOADS    IN    TIDEWATER    VIRGINIA 


20^ 


Such  was  Act  V,  1667,  "  For  Koades  to  Houses." 

"  Whereas  the  despatch  of  business  in  this  countrey  is  much 
obstructed  for  want  of  bridlewayes  to  the  several  houses  and 
plantations:  It  is  enacted  by  this  grand  assembly  and  the 
authority  thereof,  that  every  person  haveing  a  plantation 
shall,  at  the  most  plaine  and  convenient  path  that  leads  to  his 
house  make  a  gate  in  his  ffence  for  the  convenience  of  passage 
of  man  and  horse  to  his  house  about  their  occasions  at  the 
discretion  of  the  owners.'*' 

In  1705,  there  was  passed  an  act  for  constructing  roads  "  to 
and  from  city  of  Williamsburg,  the  court  house  of  every 
county,  the  parish  churches,  and  such  public  mills  and  ferries 
as  now  are,  or  hereafter  shall  be  erected,  and  from  one  county 
to  another  county,  at  least  30  ft.  wide.'*  All  male  tithables 
when  called  upon  by  the  surveyor  were  to  assist  in  the  work. 

The  condition  of  the  public  roads  of  Tidewater  Virginia 
were  never  a  source  of  very  grave  anxiety  to  its  people  until 
very  recent  years.  So  long  as  there  was  a  hard  spot  in  the 
road  to  straddle  upon,  or  a  rut  so  shallow  that  its  bottom  was 
within  reach  of  the  cart-hub,  the  repairing  of  the  road  was 
postponed. 

This  condition  was  owing  mainly  to  the  fact  that  the  largest 
shipment  of  agricultural  products,  were  usually  from  the 
wealthier  planters  located  convenient  to  some  stream  where 
a  vessel  or  lighter  could  be  reached  by  a  short  haul.  Many 
planters  had  vessel  Landings  upon  their  own  lands.  The 
farmers  located  at  the  greater  distance  from  rivers  or  creeks, 
were  generally  the  less  wealthy  class.  Their  main  products 
for  shipment  were  such  as  "could  walk  off" — horses,  mules, 
alves,  yearlings,  steers,  hogs  and  sheep.  What  corn  or 
wheat  they  raised  was  consumed  at  home,  or  trafficked  with 
neighbors  who  were  engaged  in  occupations  other  than  tilling 
the  soil. 

Including  the  high  and  dry  and  level  areas,  there  are  hun- 


208  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

dreds  of  miles  of  the  roads  throughout  that  whole  section 
which  need  no  work  upon  them  other  than  to  trim  out  the  in- 
truding bushes,  which,  if  left  to  thrive,  would  eventually  nar- 
row the  roadway  beyond  usage.  The  hills  and  the  soft  bottom 
places  in  the  "  low  grounds  "  have  ever  been  a  source  of  much 
labor  to  keep  in  good  order. 

The  public  highways  of  Virginia  were  formerly  worked 
by  the  inhabitants  living  within  the  several  road  precincts, 
who  were  "  called  upon  the  road "  by  the  overseer  of  the 
roads,  an  elective  officer  who  was  empowered  by  law  to  sum- 
mon the  residents  of  his  district  to  work  the  roads  a  certain 
number  of  days  during  each  twelve  months.  Those  who 
failed  to  put  in  an  appearance  when  called,  either  sent  a 
substitute  or  paid  a  certain  sum  of  money  to  the  road-fund. 
This  mode  of  repairing  roads  was  unsatisfactory,  and  they 
are  now  worked  by  contract  and  paid  for  by  a  road-tax  fund. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  many  of  the  road-beds  are  composed 
of  sand  or  clay,  with  few  or  no  stones  or  gravel,  the  heavy 
rains  rapidly  form  deep  gulleys  on  the  sand  hills,  or  quag- 
mires on  the  clay  hill  roads. 

There  are  hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres  of  Tidewater 
Virginia  lands  that  do  not  contain  a  stone  large  enough  to 
"  chunk  a  squirrel." 

Clay  hills  and  boggy  bottoms  are  usually  corduroyed  for 
want  of  better  material.  A  corduroy  road  is  made  by  laying 
a  bed  of  poles  across  it,  side  by  side,  and  covering  them 
slightly  with  soil.  In  the  event  of  rains  washing  the  soil 
from  the  poles,  the  vehicle  traveling  over  such  road  is  jostled, 
bumped,  and  jerked  across  a  small  pole,  and  against  a  larger 
one  alternately,  with  an  up  and  down  and  sidewise  motion, 
like  a  small  boat  in  a  "choppy  sea."  A  fractious  horse 
driven  on  a  dark  night  down  a  steep  corduroy  hill  road,  after 
a  heavy  rain  storm,  is  apt  to  alarm  the  driver  lest  he  be 
thrown  upon  his  head ;  it  will  at  least  force  him  to  make  un- 
complimentary remarks  about  the  road  overseer. 


COUNTRY    ROADS   IX   TIDEWATER  VIRGINIA  209 

There  are  many  small  streams — "Buns" — crossing  the 
roads,  which  are  not  bridged.  During  very  heavy  rains,  these 
streams  widen  out  suddenly,  and  cover  the  road  bed,  and  the 
surrounding  lowlands,  with  a  wave  of  water  which  greatly 
confuses  the  stranger  on  a  dark  night,  and  may  put  him  in  a 
plight  of  "  landing  up  the  creek  "  in  some  boggy,  oozy  bottom 
to  sink  beyond  the  sound  of  Gabriel's  horn.  Even  though  it 
be  a  dark  night,  an  experienced  traveler  will  discover  by  the 
movements  of  his  horse's  feet  when  the  animal  leaves  "  hard 
bottom,"  and  by  a  speedy  pull  of  the  proper  rein,  may  save 
himself  from  a  muddy  grave. 

Some  of  the  "  Runs  "  between  low  banks  are  narrow,  and 
during  heavy  rains,  wash  out  "  chuck  holes  "  across  the  roads, 
which  are  at  least  alarming  to  the  stranger  traveler  in  a 
dense  piney  woods  road  when  the  stars  are  hidden  by  lowering 
clouds.  Meeting  one  of  such  places,  his  horse  and  vehicle, 
without  warning,  suddenly  plunges  through  the  darkness  with 
an  abrupt  jolt  into  the  water  almost  out  of  sight — he  imagines. 
At  this  6tage  of  his  journey,  the  traveler  is  undetermined 
whether  he  kept  the  "straight  road,"  as  directed — notwith- 
standing its  many  twists  and  turns — or  whether  he  is  on  his 
way  across  some  deep  mill  pond,  or  navigable  stream  whose 
pitying  waters  may  wash  his  remains  to  its  distant  shores,  to 
form  a  fit  subject  for  the  "  coroner  to  sit  on,"  and  determine 
whether  the  "stranger  committed  suicide,"  or  was  waylaid 
and  dropped  in  the  stream.  Before  he  has  located  himself, 
or  determined  in  his  mind  as  to  where  his  remains  may  be 
found,  his  horse  gives  a  snort  and  a  bound,  and  carries  vehicle 
and  traveler  on  dry  ground.  Just  then  he  forgets  his  former 
peril  in  giving  vent  to  his  former  nervousness  by  saying 
something  about  the  people  in  that  neighborhood  being  "  too 
lazy  to    mend  the  road 

It  is  frequently  found  that  a  dam  across  a  mill  pond  is 
used  as  a  public  road.     Many  such  dams  are  winding,  and 

14 


210  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

thus  obstruct  the  view  of  the  road  from  end  to  end,  and  such 
road  beds  are  often  too  narrow  to  admit  of  vehicles  passing 
each  other  upon  the  dam. 

Before  the  Civil  War,,  very  many  persons,  male  and  female, 
rode  horseback,  and  thus  could  shun  the  worst  parts  of  the 
road.  The  more  wealthy  rode  in  their  family  coach;  the 
doctors  and  lawyers  used  gigs,  a  two  wheeled  vehicle  now 
entirely  out  of  usage. 

A  clipping  from  "  The  Free  Lance,"  a  newspaper  published 
in  the  city  of  Fredericksburg,  Virginia,  shows  the  condition 
of  some  of  the  public  roads  at  the  present  day. 

"  Dunnsvilug,  Essex  County,  Oct.  23,  1906. 

The  roads  are  continued  mud  holes,  and  the  creeks  swollen 
above  the  bridges  over  them.  The  water  was  nearly  knee  deep 
on  Ware's  creek  bridge  Saturday,  and  the  cause-way  leading  to 
it  almost  past  fording.  Trible  swamp,  on  the  road  from  Dunns- 
ville  to  Cox's  store,  is  a  menace  to  life  and  limb,  and  should  be 

bridged  at  once.     Mr.  E.  M.  W ,  Jr.,  reports  that  the  water 

was  up  to  his  buggy  body  even  before  the  last  heavy  rain.  With 
such  conditions  before  us  at  this  season,  what  may  we  expect 
the  roads  to  be  by  Christmas,  and  for  patience  sake,  what  in 
February? 

The  mail  driver  from  Tappahannock  to  Walkerton  had  to 
swim  his  horse  today,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  driver 
from  Dunnsville  to  Daisy." 

Deep  sandy  roads  during  a  dry  spell  are  as  tedious  and 
tiresome  to  travel  through  as  would  be  a  deep  bed  of  snow. 
Roads  of  this  character  are  sometimes  corduroyed. 

The  roads  containing  the  deepest  sand  beds  are  more  fre- 
quently found  in  the  interior  of  the  peninsulas,  remote  from 
the  navigable  streams.  There  is  one  such  noted  place  in 
Caroline  County,  humorously  nicknamed  "  Sandy  Lane."  A 
traveler  passing  through  that  section  asked  an  old  negro  resi- 
dent whom  he  met  on  a  hot  summer's  day,  laboriously  plod- 
ding through  its  deep,  dry  sands:  "  How  come  so  much  sand 
here,  Uncle  ?" 


COUNTRY    ROADS    IN   TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  211 

"  Well,  Boss,"  said  he,  "  I've  hearn  it  happen'd  dis  yere 
way :  On  de  Saturd'y  evenin'  w'en  de  worl'  wuz  mos'  fmish'd 
dar  wuz  a  right  smaht  heap  o'  san'  lef  ovah  dat  w'ant  no  use, 
an'  de  Lawd  He  say  to  Hisse'f,  'I  mus'  fin'  a  place  fur  dis  yere 
heap  o'  san' ;  an'  w'en  He  look  down  'pon  de  yearth,  he  spied 
a  right  smaht  big  hole  right  yere.  Well,  suh,  dey  say  de 
Lawd  sot  up  all  dat  Saturd'y  night  shuv'lin'  san'  right  yere 
in  Sandy  Lane,  an'  w'en  Sund'y  mornin'  cum,  He  wuz  tired 
an'  He  say  to  Hisse'f  '  I  mus'  take  a  res'  dis  day  shore.'  I 
tells  yo'  Boss,  ef  it  hadn't  bin  fo'  Sandy  Lane  in  ol'  Kal-line 
County,  de  wite  folks  would  a  wuckjd  us  poh  niggahs  seben 
days  in  ev'ry  week,  an'  dar  wouldn't  bin  no  Sund'y  but  fo* 
Sandy  Lane.  Dat's  how  cum  Sund'y  'pinted  de  day  to  res' 
yo'se'f.     Thank  de  Lawd  fo'  Sandy  Lane." 

Where  the  public  roads  lead  across  rivers  and  deep  creeks, 
they  are  crossed  in  many  places  by  means  of  "  flat  boats," 
which  are  propelled  by  a  rope  stretched  across  the  stream 
from  bank  to  bank,  and  fastened  to  stakes  or  logs  embedded 
in  the  earth.  The  flat  boats  have  two  parallel  upright  stand- 
ards at  either  end,  and  some  of  them  a  wheel  or  block  be- 
tween the  standards  upon  which  the  rope  "travels"  as  the 
boat  is  pulled  from  shore  to  shore. 

To  permit  a  ready  entrance  of  vehicles  and  animals  into  the 
boat,  it  is  provided  with  an  "apron"  at  either  end.  The 
aprons  are  hinged  platforms  attached  to  the  ends  of  the  boat, 
and  projecting  outward  from  the  ends  several  feet.  When 
the  boat  reaches  the  shore,  the  outer  side  of  the  apron  is  low- 
ered until  it  reaches  the  earth,  thus  affording  a  gradually  in- 
clining passage  to  and  from  the  boat.  While  crossing  the 
stream,  the  aprons,  are  held  up  above  the  water  by  means  of 
"  sweep  poles  "  run  through  rings  upon  each  of  the  outer  sides 
of  the  aprons,  and  through  other  rings  upon  the  floor  of  the 
boat.  The  aprons  are  swung,  as  it  were,  upon  the  ends  of  the 
sweep. 


212  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

On  the  country  roads  of  Tidewater  Virginia,  no  one  passes 
another  without  some  show  of  courtesy,  or  familiar  recogni- 
tion. Acquaintances  exchange  greetings  by  inquiry  about 
each  other's  health,  and  that  of  their  families,  and  engage  in 
discussing  the  latest  important  or  interesting  event  relative  to 
their  section,  state  or  nation.  This  takes  time,  but  every 
Tidewater  Virginian  has  time  always  for  courtesies.  The 
negroes,  during  slavery,  when  meeting  the  whites  raised  their 
hats,  bowed  and  politely  replied  "  Sarvint,  suh." 

It  was  ill  bred  manners  to  overtake  and  drive  past  another 
vehicle  containing  ladies  ^>r  gentlemen  without  making  some 
apology.  There  is  good  reason  for  this  courtesy,  especially 
during  dry  weather,  because  the  roads  during  that  period  are 
stifling  with  fine  dust  which  is  readily  started  into  motion 
from  a  passing  vehicle. 

The  customary  rule  of  the  road  is  to  pass  to  the  right. 
This  rule  is  observed  wherever  practical. 

There  are  hundreds  of  miles  of  the  public  highways  too 
narrow  to  admit  two  vehicles  going  in  opposite  directions, 
to  pass  each  other  in  the  beaten  path  of  travel.  If  two  such 
vehicles  meet  on  a  level  spot  "  it  is  easy,"  as  one  or  the  other 
can  "  take  to  the  woods,"  or  bushes ;  if  they  meet  upon  a  nar- 
row hill  road  between  steep  banks,  then  "comes  the  tug  of 
war." 

Virginians  never  took  time  to  form  proper  width  roadbeds 
over  the  hills,  where  most  needed.  In  many  places  where  the 
hills  are  crossed,  the  road  beds  are  but  wide  enough  between 
steep  banks  for  one  vehicle  to  pass.  When  two  vehicles  meet 
upon  such  a  place,  the  one  going  down  the  hill  has  the  right 
of  way  by  custom.  The  one  coming  up  the  hill  must  back 
down  to  where  the  road  is  sufficiently  wide  to  permit  of  pass- 
ing. Such  contingencies  are  the  only  instances  in  which  a 
Tidewater  Virginia  gentleman  will  consent  to  back  down. 

There  are  not  many  country  roads  in  Virginia  which  have 


COUNTRY   ROADS    IN   TIDEWATER  VIRGINIA  2l3 

continuous  miles  of  "  straight  travel  f  many  of  them  are  aa 
crooked  as  the  streams  to  which  they  lead. 

The  numerous  rivers,  creeks  and  other  inland  streams  found 
there,  together  with  the  hills,  which  are  always  ascended  by 
the  roundabout,  and  not  the  straightest  grade,  make  it  diffi- 
cult, if  not  impossible  to  construct  straight  roads. 

Neither  are  the  public  highways  always  indicated  to  the 
traveler  by  the  show  of  "  well  worn  roads."  There  are  many 
localities  where  the  main  highways  indicate  signs  of  less  usage 
than  do  the  private  roads  to  some  saw  mill,  or  "  timber  get- 
ters' "  or  cord  wood  choppers'  camps.  "Where  the  public  and 
private  roads  of  this  character  join,  it  is  a  puzzle  to  determine 
one  from  the  other,  as  there  are  so  many  instances  in  which 
the  public  roads  are  substituted  by  short  cuts  through  the 
woods  to  avoid  bad  places.  Where  the  public  highways  form 
"forked,"  or  "cross  roads,"  they  crook  and  bend  into  one 
another  with  such  suddenness  and  mystification  that  the 
traveler  is  at  a  loss  to  determine  whether  he  is  coming  from, 
or  returning  to  his  first  starting  point  by  some  more  direct 
route — he  almost  meets  himself  coming  back.  There  are 
sign  board  posts  at  nearly  all  forked,  or  cross  roads,  and  but 
few  of  them  have  sign  boards,  and  these  few  are  pointed  either 
upward  or  downward — suggestive  only  of  the  direction  in 
which  the  righteous  and  the  unrighteous  must  eventually  go. 
In  such  contingencies,  the  traveler  should  retrace  his  steps  to 
the  nearest  dwelling  house,  even  though  it  be  a  mile  or  two, 
where  he  is  sure  to  find  the  people,  white  and  colored,  very 
courteous  and  obliging  when  directing  a  traveler,  but  he  will 
most  likely  be  told  to  "  keep  the  straight  road,"  regardless  of 
his  destination. 

In  some  of  the  counties  bordering  on  the  Chesapeake  Bay, 
nearly  every  other  man  resident,  whether  he  be  the  owner  of 
a  "  dugout  " — a  canoe  dug  out  of  a  single  log — or  the  master 
of  a  coasting  6chooner,  has  the  title  of  "  Captain."     There 


214  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

are  other  less  numerous  titles,  such  as  Major  and  Colonel. 
Some  of  these  latter  titles  were  deservedly  won  in  the  Civil 
War,  and  others  are  reminders  of  the  patrols  and  militia  of 
days  "  Befo'  de  Wah."  Those  with  titles  are  best  known  by 
their  abbreviated  Christian  name,  and  are  thus  spoken  of  and 
addressed  by  even  their  most  intimate  friends.  Captain 
Patrick  Henry  Clay  is  known  and  addressed  only  as  Captain 
Pat  Clay. 

A  stranger  to  these  customs,  asked  an  old  time  negro  where 
Mister  Patrick  Henry  Clay  lived : 

"  Deed  I  dunno  Boss !  No  sich  gentleman  named  dat 
livin'  bout  yere  as  I  knows  of.  Is  he  a  white  gentleman  or  a 
colored  gentleman  ?" 

Upon  being  asked  if  there  were  any  persons  named  Clay 
living  in  that  neighborhood,  he  replied : 

"  Plenty  uv  'em,  suh !  Plenty  uv  'em.  Captain  Pat  Clay 
lives  across  de  crick  yonda.  Ef  I  had  ma  dugout  I'd  take  yo' 
dar  'dreckly,  but  ef  yo'  has  to  go  roun'  de  head  uv  de  crick,  I 
dunno  w'en  yo'  gits  dar,  kase  it's  right  smaht  ways,  an'  de 
wust  road  in  de  county."  "  Well,  I  tells  yo'  how  yo'  gits  dar. 
Keep  de  straight  road  'twell  yo'  comes  to  a  "  new  cut "  road. 
Do'an  yo'  turn  in  dar,  kase  dat  aint  de  road  yo'  takes.  Wen 
yo'  gits  right  smaht  ways  fum  dat  place  whar  yo'  sees  de  new 
cut  road,  yo'  keeps  de  straight  road  pas'  Captain  Jim  Lanes 
"wintah  cuppen"  (cowpen) ;  it's  right  in  de  pines  whar  he 
shelter  his  cattle  in  the  wintah  time.  Den  yo'  turn  dar  an' 
keep  de  straight  road  'twell  yo'  gits  to  a  pole  gate  made  outen 
pine  saplin's.  Do'an  yo'  go  in  dar,  kase  dat  whar  Captain 
Tom  Jinkins  live.  Den  yo'  keep  de  straight  road  'twell  yo' 
comes  to  a  big  sycamore,  right  smaht  size,  an'  straight  down 
de  road  fum  dar  is  a  right  smaht  skirt  o'  pines,  some  on  'em 
right  smaht  size  an'  yuther  ones  jes'  young  saplin's,  kase  dar 
whar  de  saw  mill  war  las'  year,  an'  dey  cut  all  de  bes'  timber 
outen  dar  'fore  dey  move  de  mill.     Dey  suttinly  mus'  use  a 


COUNTRY    ROADS    IN    TIDEWATER   VIRGINIA  215 

heap  o'  timber  in  town,  kase  dat  mill  wuz  a  sawin'  mos'  night 
an'  day,  an'  dey  sont  ev'ry  blessed  stick  o'  dat  timber  to  town, 
an'  dey  axed  fo'  mor'." 

"  Wen  yo'  gits  outen  dat  clearin'  whar  de  saw  mill  war,  yo* 
comes  in  sight  o'  Captain  Ned  Daingerfields  house,  right  down 
on  the  crick  sho\  Den  de  nex'  house  yo'  sees  straight  down 
de  crick  sho,'  yo'  knows  it's  Captain  Pat  Clays.  I  'spect  he's 
de  gentleman  yo'  is  lookin'  fo'.  Wen  yo'  gits  to  his  gate, 
you'd  bettah  holler,  kase  he  keeps  a  passul  uv  de  wust  houn' 
dogs  yo'  evah  seed,  an'  dey  aint  got  no  use  fo'  a  niggah 
laik  me." 

Many  of  the  roadsides  of  the  cultivated  lands  present  the 
appearance  of  hedges,  as  the  fences  are  hidden  from  view  by 
pretty  cedar  trees,  and  chinquopin,  sassafras,  holly,  dogwood, 
and  sumac  bushes,  intermingled  with  wild  grape,  Virginia 
creeper,  honeysuckle,  and  trumpet  vines.  The  seeds  of  these 
trees,  bushes,  and  vines  are  carried  to  the  fences  by  the  birds 
which  alight  upon  the  rails  with  the  seeds  in  their  beaks,  and 
there  drop  them.  Many  of  the  division  fences  between  the 
fields,  are  also  lined  with  cedar  trees,  the  seeds  of  which  were 
also  carried  there  by  birds.  As  there  is  "  land  a  plenty,"  the 
fields  are  seldom  cultivated  close  to  the  fences,  and  these 
several  growths  are  therefore  left  undisturbd  to  thrive.  What 
is  known  as  the  "  worm  fence  "  was  most  commonly  in  use. 
It  was  formed  of  pine,  oak,  or  chestnut  split  rails,  or  poles 
placed  one  upon  another  in  the  form  of  an  elongated,  endless 
capital  W.  It  is  said  a  Virginia  worm  fence  might  be  made 
of  rails  "  too  crooked  to  lie  still." 

A  claimant  for  trespass  upon  his  fenced  land  was  obliged  to 
prove  his  fence  was  "  pig  tight,  steer  high,  eight  rails  and  a 
rider." 

Many  of  the  counties  now  have  what  is  known  as  a  "no 
fence  law,"  that  is,  no  one  need  fence  against  trespass  of  other 
persons'  stock  as  liability  follows  for  trespass  upon  unfenced 
lands. 


216  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

One  can  travel  for  continuous  miles  through  sections  of 
wooded  lands,  and  find  the  country  roads  lined  upon  both 
sides  with  young,  and  old  timber,  and  so  dense  may  be  the 
growth  that  only  a  vista  of  the  Heavens  may  be  seen. 

More  than  half  the  land  surface  of  Tidewater  Virginia  is 
covered  with  timber,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  pine  of 
every  species,  except  white,  and  Norway  pine. 

A  dense  pine  forest  is  usually  clear  of  other  undergrowth, 
and  therefore  presents  much  more  the  appearance  of  a  city 
park  than  an  uncultivated  wild  woods.  It  is  also  one  of  the 
most  quiet  places  upon  earth,  as  the  foliage  of  the  pine  makes 
no  rustling  sound  when  agitated  by  light  breezes.  During 
heavy  wind  storms,  they  emit  a  sound  as  if  a  broom  were 
swept  violently  through  the  air, — a  swishing  sound. 

The  woods,  with  their  sweet  and  healthful  odors,  and  their 
restful  quietude,  make  the  ideal  home  for  small  game.  Along 
these  forest  roads  may  be  seen  during  the  spring  and  fall 
months,  thousands  of  red-breasted  robins,  and  the  song  of  the 
wild  mocking  bird  is  often  heard  there  to  the  delight  of  his 
mate  who  is  attending  to  her  maternal  duties  on  some  adja- 
cent bush. 

THE  BUILDING  OF  THE  NEST. 

"  They'll  come  again  to  the  apple  tree, 

Robin  and  all  the  rest, 
When  the  orchard  branches  are  fair  to  see 

In  the  snow  of  the  blossoms  drest; 
And  the  prettiest  thing  in  the  world  will  be 

The  building  of  the  nest. 

Weaving  it  well,  so  round  and  trim, 

Hollowing  it  with  care; 
Nothing  too  far  away  for  him, 

Nothing  for  her  too  fair; 
Hanging  it  safe  on  the  topmost  limb, 

Their  castle  in  the  air. 


COUNTRY   ROADS  IN  TIDEWATER  VIRGINIA  217 

Ah,  mother  bird,  you'll  have  weary  days 
When  the  eggs  are  under  your  breast, 

And  shadows  may  darken  the  dancing  rays 
When  the  wee  ones  leave  the  nest; 

But  they'll  find  their  wings  in  a  glad  amaze, 
And  God  will  see  to  the  rest. 

So  come  to  the  trees  with  all  your  train 

When  the  apple  blossoms  grow; 
Through  the  April  shimmer  of  sun  and  rain, 

Go  flying  to  and  fro, 
And  sing  to  our  hearts  as  we  watch  again 

Your  fairy  building  grow." 

Squirrels  may  cross  the  path  of  the  traveler — tails  up — in 
quest  of  the  acorn  or  chinquopin  to  lay  up  for  "  a  cold  day." 
The  "  Old  Hare  "—the  "  Mollie-Cotton-Tail  "  of  the  young- 
eters — may  be  seen  "  scampering  her  level  best "  in  an  effort 
to  keep  her  carcass  from  the  jaws  of  a  greedy  old  fox  that 
follows  closely  behind  her. 

A  few  years  ago,  in  many  of  these  counties,  might  be  seen 
the  daintily  limbed  Virginia  deer,  leaping  across  the  road  to 
disappear  in  the  thicket  beyond  the  sight  of  the  baying  hounds 
and  the  hunter  who  follows  in  hot  pursuit. 

The  wild  turkey  was  often  seen  in  the  "  old  field  clearings," 
scratching  for  a  living,  accompanied  in  the  spring  time  by  her 
brood  of  young  ones. 

The  deer  have  nearly  all  disappeared,  but  the  wild  turkey, 
in  many  places,  yet  "  roosts  high." 

During  the  early  spring  and  late  fall  months,  the 
"Cohonk,"  "Cohunk,"  of  the  wild  geese  in  their  annual 
migration,  from  sundown  to  break  of  day,  were  familiar 
sounds  throughout  that  region  of  Virginia.  Since  the  intro- 
duction, and  frequent  trips  of  "the  local  steamboats  to  many 
of  these  streams,  the  wild  goose  and  the  wild  duck  seek  the 
more  quiet  places. 

From  the  earliest  days  of  settlement  of  this  nation,  oxen 


218  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

were  in  demand  for  slow,  heavy  draught  work,  either  upon 
the  public  highways,  or  in  the  woods  and  new  ground  clear- 
ings, where  tree  stumps  and  roots  were  numerous.  At  such 
work,  the  patient,  slow  and  steady  tread  of  the  ox  made  him 
the  favorite  in  comparison  with  the  quick,  nervous,  and  ex- 
citable horse. 

The  ox  team  needed  no  harness  other  than  a  yoke  with  a 
ring  attached  to  its  center,  and  strengthened  by  an  iron  band, 
and  two  bows.  Neither  of  these  required  a  very  high  degree 
of  mechanical  art  to  form. 

The  yoke  was  made  of  light,  tough,  close  grained  wood, 
usually  swamp  maple.  It  was  long  enough  to  reach  over  and 
project  beyond  the  necks  of  both  cattle.  Where  it  rested  upon 
the  necks,  it  was  rounded  out  to  fit  each,  and  holes  were 
bored  to  receive  both  ends  of  the  bows,  which  were  made  of 
young,  straight  grained  hickory,  or  white  oak  rounded 
smoothly,  and  bent  U-shape  to  fit  under  the  throats  of  the 
cattle,  then  up  into  the  holes  in  the  yoke,  fastened  by  a  key 
in  each,  thereby  securing  the  oxen  together. 

When  the  ox  was  worked  single,  he  was  driven  with  bits  in 
his  mouth,  attached  to  a  halter  which  passed  over  his  head, 
and  was  guided  by  rope  lines.  To  each  end  of  a  single  yoke 
were  fastened  rings  which  passed  through  eye  bolts  to  support 
the  shafts  of  a  vehicle,  or  to  hitch  traces  to  while  plowing,  or 
at  other  work. 

It  was  often  the  self-imposed  and  much  enjoyed  task  of  the 
youngsters — white  and  colored — on  a  plantation  to  "  break 
the  yearlings  to  the  yoke." 

A  team  composed  of  a  bull  and  a  jackass,  or  a  bull  and  a 
mule  was  humorously  dubbed  "Virginia  Rag  Bag  team." 
Such  team  was  seldom  seen  elsewhere  than  in  the  forest  sec- 
tion, and  was  more  frequently  the  property  of  "  free  negroes." 

The  ox  team  is  being  rapidly  relegated  to  the  rear  of  the 
procession  of  the  present  day  progress,   and  soon  will  be 


COUNTRY   ROADS   IN    TIDEWATER  VIRGINIA  219 

ranked  with  the  tallow  candle  age  curiosities  of  the  grand- 
father's day.  In  pioneer  days  the  ox  team  was  a  highly 
prized  necessity.  They  lightened  the  burdens  of  the  Ameri- 
can pioneer  in  his  long  and  tedious  march  "  Westward  Ho  " 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  in  advance  of  the  locomotive. 

He  was  worked  as  long  as  he  was  able,  and  when  no  longer 
fit  for  burdens,  his  flesh  was  meat  for  his  matter's  sus- 
tenance, and  his  hide  consoled  many  a  weary  foot.  He  has 
been  in  service  from  the  earliest  record  of  history.  His  use- 
ful and  patient  service  has  earned  for  him  a  notice  in  the 
Proverbs  of  Solomon :  "  Where  no  oxen  are,  the  crib  is 
clean ;  but  much  increase  is  by  the  strength  of  the  ox." 

The  Tidewater  A7irginia  ox  is  not  large,  but  "  when  pushed, 
will  get  a  move  on  him  "  that  would  leave  the  larger  cattle  of 
other  sections  far  behind  in  the  race.  Like  all  his  species,  he 
will  move  but  slowly  unless  urged,  but  "  he  gets  there  just  the 


same." 


On  a  hot  summer's  day  may  yet  be  seen  on  these  country 
roads,  the  typical  ox  team  and  negro  driver  of  "  Buck  and 
Bright,"  hauling  cord  wood,  railroad  ties,  or  going  to,  or  re- 
turning from  a  grist  mill  with  "  a  turn  of  meal." 

There  is  an  air  of  quiet  and  leisure  suggested  by  the  meet- 
ing of  a  yoke  of  oxen  in  charge  of  an  old  Tidewater  Virginia 
ro  on  a  country  road  there,  which  is  not  found  elsewhere. 
The  oxen  move  leisurely  along  with  their  burden,  chewing 
tbeir  quid  with  evident  satisfaction,  turning  neither  to  the 
right  nor  to  the  left,  but  "keep  in  the  middle  of  the  road," 
as  they  were  early  taught. 

The  d  river  sits  perched  upon  the  load  with  whip  in  hand, 
and  both  eyes  closed  to  all  the  world  and  its  cares — fast  asleep, 
llf  puts  hi  I  in  his  well-trained  cattle  and  the  good  Lord 

who  watch  ren  to  the  fall  of  a  sparrow."     If  the  road  is 

wide  enough,  the  Virgil  ia  gentleman  traveler  "turns  out" 
withoul  a  murmur  of  complaint,  or  without  disturbing  the 
slumbers  of  the  drowsy  driver. 

X  j r  •  out  of  every  hundred  ox  teams  in  that  section 


220  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

are  named  "Buck  and  Bright."     Buck  is  the  "nigh"  ox, 
Bright  is  the  "  off  "  ox. 

As  a  steady,  useful  draught  animal,  the  mule  ranks  with 
the  ox,  and  is  preferred  for  work  on  the  plantation.  The 
mule  learns  his  work  more  quickly  than  does  the  horse,  and  is 
more  patient  and  less  timid. 

He  requires  less  grain  food  and  less  grooming  than  does  a 
horse,  and  thrives  if  permitted  after  his  day's  work  to  roll 
upon  the  ground  and  fill  his  hide  with  sand,  which  he  after- 
wards delights  in  shaking  off  by  a  romp  and  a  kick  or  two. 
A  mule  or  an  old  time  negro  may  look  drowsy,  but  either  of 
them  can  fling  their  feet  with  astonishing  rapidity.  A  mule 
will  permit  his  driver  to  take  certain  liberties  with  him  which 
a  stranger  may  take  only  at  great  peril  to  his  own  safety : 

"  Stan'  cl'ar  o'  dat  Pete  mule's  hin'  laigs  'less  yo'  wants  yo' 
fune-ral  preached,"  is  the  frequent  admonition  of  the  negro 
mule  driver  to  intruding  strangers  who  do  not  know  "  a  mule's 
ways."     The  negro  is  usually  a  patient  and  merciful  driver. 

The  negro  as  a  mule  driver,  has  a  cinch  on  the  white  man. 
A  Tidewater  Virginia  mule  is  like  an  inquisitive,  healthy  boy. 
He  wants  someone  talking  to  him  all  the  while.  If  a  mule 
balks,  or  shies,  or  travels  too  slow,  the  white  man  has  neither 
time  nor  patience  to  talk  to  him  in  other  than  sulphurous  lan- 
guage, and  frequently  will  resort  to  the  whip,  which  only  adds 
to  the  stubbornness  of  the  mule.  The  old  time  negro  driver 
had  more  time  to  spare,  and  consequently  more  patience  with 
the  halting  or  fractious  mule  than  the  white  man,  and  he 
talked  to  the  mule  in  a  peculiar  inflection  of  the  voice  cal- 
culated to  shame  the  mule:  "Wat's  de  matter  wid  yo' 
muil  ?  Look  at  him  now ;  w'at  I  feed  yo'  f o',  suh  ?  I'se  not 
gwine  stan'  yere  all  day  pesterin'  wid  yo' !  Yo'  yere  me 
muil?  Git  up  here  muil  'fore  I  war  dis  yere  switch  outen 
yo'  hide,  suh !" 

While  this  talk  is  going  on,  in  a  deliberate  way,  the  mule  is 
resting,  and  when  it  ceases,  off  goes  the  mule,  and  the  negro 
and  the  mule  at  once  forget  the  incident. 


CHAPTEE  XIX 
LaDds  and  Products. 


I.  Seasons. 
There  are  two  beautiful  seasons  of  the  year  in  Tidewater 
Virginia.  First  is  the  early  spring  time  when  the  forests 
bud  and  the  flowers  blossom;  then  the  air  is  filled  with  the 
sweet  odors  exhaled  by  nature,  in  her  efforts  to  encourage 
verdure  to  wake  from  the  cold  slumbers,  and  to  smile  upon 
the  earth  and  spread  its  green  mantle  over  the  landscape,  and 
free  the  waters  from  their  frigid  chill,  that  they  may  romp 
and  run  free  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea  shore  undis- 
turbed. This  is  the  most  welcome  season  of  the  year.  It  is 
then  the  busy  time  for  the  tiller  of  the  soil,  and  the  fisherman 
hastens  to  prepare  his  nets  for  the  harvest  which  the  warm 
waters  will  bring  to  them.  The  following  is  typical  of  the 
negroes'  thought  of  Spring  time. 

O,  Miss  Spring  time, 

We's  glad  to  see  'taint  so, 
We's  fear'd  dat  ol'  Miss  Wintah 

Had  kiver'd  yo'  up  wid  snow; 
But  dar  cum  spry  Miss  April, 

She  done  jes'  dried  huh  eyes, 
An'  hresh'd  away  de  heavy  clouds 

Wat  hid  de  shiny  skies, 
Den  we  se'ed  'long  de  road  side 

De  flowers  yo'  use  to  bring, 
An'  we  know'd  it  by  de  "Daises" 

Dat  yo'  wuz  sho'ly  spring. 

We  he'erd  ol'  Mistab  Bullfrog 

A  hoppin'  to  his  home, 
An'  steddy  shoutin'  to  hissef 

"Jug-o-rum",  "Jug-o-rum". 

[  22]  ] 


222  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Lissen  w'at  dat  young  frog  say 

— He's  jes'  woke  up  from  sleep — 

I  knows  he's  in  some  trubble 

— "Knee  deep",  "knee  deep",  "knee  deep" — 

O,  Yas,  it's  sho'ly  spring  time 

Wen  frogs  keep  up  sich  noise, 
A  singin'  to  dar  lone  selves, 

— A  racket — jes'  laik  boys. 

The  other  pretty  season  of  the  year  is  the  late  fall  when  the 
summer's  heat  has  expended  its  force,  and  the  atmosphere 
fills  the  human  lungs  with  its  healthful  breaths  of  cool  air. 
Then  the  oak  leaves  change  their  emerald  hue,  and  lose  their 
hold  upon  the  parent  tree,  to  drop  at  its  feet  and  form  mold 
to  nourish  the  roots  for  future  needs,  while  the  Heavens 
are  casting  their  weighty  coats  of  glittering  frosts  upon  the 
earth,  as  a  warning  to  nature  to  prepare  its  slumbering  couch 
lor  winter's  visit.  This  is  the  second  welcome  season  of  the 
year.  Then  the  industrious  farmer  and  the  lucky  fisherman 
have  already  reaped  their  harvests  and  gathered  them  for  pro- 
tection against  winter's  icy  hand,  which  is  sure  to  search  the 
lands  where  harvests  bloomed,  and  the  rivers  where  the  waters 
romped  and  made  merry  with  their  finny  visitors. 

Winter  soon  makes  a  struggle  to  settle  itself  upon  the  earth, 
and  sends  its  windy  messengers  from  the  North,  with  trum- 
pets full  of  chilly  air  to  blow  upon  the  face  of  nature  and  thus 
force  its  eyes  to  close  before  the  expected  storms. 

This  wintry  struggle  is  interrupted  usually  about  the  mid- 
dle of  November,  when  the  weather  again  becomes  warm, 
enabling  the  belated  wayfarer  to  seek  shelter,  who,  but 
for  its  aid  would  be  "  left  out  in  the  cold." 

This  change  in  the  weather,  with  its  hazy  atmosphere,  is  a 
delightful  season.  It  was  named  "  Indian  Summer  "  from 
the  following  circumstances :  During  the  first  settlements  of 
the    West,    the    pioneers    to    that   region    were    continually 


LANDS   AXD   PRODUCTS  223 

harassed  by  the  Indians.  These  people  enjoyed  no  peace  ex- 
cepting in  the  severe  winter  weather  when  the  Indians  were 
unable  to  make  their  raids  into  the  settlements.  The  onset  of 
winter  was  therefore  hailed  as  a  relief  from  these  annoyances 
by  the  settlers  who  throughout  the  spring  and  early  part  of 
the  fall  had  been  forced  for  their  own  safety  to  live  in  little 
uncomfortable  forts.  At  the  approach  of  winter,  therefore, 
all  the  farmers  excepting  the  owner  of  the  fort,  removed  to 
their  cabins  on  their  farms.  It  sometimes  happened,  after 
the  apparent  onset  of  winter,  that  the  weather  became  warm, 
the  "  smoky  time  "  commenced,  and  lasted  for  a  considerable 
number  of  days.  This  was  Indian  Summer,  because  it 
afforded  the  Indians  another  opportunity  of  visiting  the  set- 
tlements with  their  destructive  warfare. 

At  morn,  along  the  woodland  stream, 
A  film  of  ice,  brief  as  a  dream, 
Gleams  in  the  sun, 
And  frost  gems  in  the  woods  and  grass, 
Like  trinkets  wrought  of  polished  glass, 
Or  myriad  points  of  burnished  brass 
That  shine  as  one. 

A  dreamy  haze,  half  fog,  half  smoke, 
Above  the  red  tops  of  the  oak 
Hangs  like  a  pall; 
Incasing  all  the  hill  tops  gray, 
And  valley  stretching  far  away, 
Where  regal  Indian  Summer's  sway 
Transfigures  all. 

The  winters  are  especially  mild  iu  the  lower  tidewater 
section  ;  very  s<  Idom  is  ice  formed  upon  its  streams  more  than 
two  or  throe  inches  thick.  Snow?  are  usually  light,  and  last 
upon  the  earth  but  a  few  days  after  falling.  Weather  suitable 
for  planting  garden  vegetables  is  often  found  in  the  middle  of 
February,  or  the  beginning  of  March.     There  is  usually  an 


224  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

abundant  rainfall   in   the   spring  time,   and  the   summer's 
drought  ends  about  July. 

II.    Lands  of  Tidewater  Virginia. 

The  lands  and  waters  of  America  were  claimed  by  the 
Christian  monarchs  of  Europe  by  right  of  discovery  through 
their  subjects.  These  Christian  monarchs  held  many  bloody 
disputes  with  one  another  over  these  doubtful  titles  by  dis- 
covery. The  colonists  who  settled  Virginia  had  no  title  to 
the  lands  or  waters  other  than  what  was  given  them  in  their 
charter  from  the  King  of  England.  Under  this  doubtful 
right,  they  landed  and  set  up  the  emblem  of  Christianity — the 
Cross — and  claimed  the  lands  and  waters  for  their  king. 

When  America  was  first  discovered,  its  lands  were  held  in 
common  by  the  several  tribes  or  nations  of  the  aborigines. 
Those  tribes  who  were  nomadic,  moving  from  place  to  place  in 
pursuit  of  game,  laid  no  particular  claim  to  any  section,  but 
looked  upon  all  as  free  for  their  purposes.  Such  tribes  made 
no  fixed  habitation  upon  the  soil. 

When  the  colonists  reached  Virginia,  they  found  the  In- 
dians settled  near  the  best  fishing  shores,  and  upon  the  most 
fertile  spots  of  land.  The  island  upon  which  the  colony  first 
seated  was  part  of  the  territory  occupied  by  a  tribe  of  Indians 
whose  chief  Paspiha  welcomed  the  new  comers,  and  shared 
with  them  his  lands.  This  was  the  first  undisputed,  quiet 
title  from  an  aboriginal  inhabitant  of  the  new  world  to  the 
white  man  of  the  old  world,  and  to  Tidewater  Virginia  be- 
longs this  honor.  The  territory  which  the  Spaniards  already 
occupied  at  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  and  Santa  Ee,  New- 
Mexico,  was  taken  from  the  Indians  without  leave,  or  bargain, 
or  price. 

Until  the  massacre  of  1622  by  the  Indians,  the  colony  with 
some  few  exceptions,  bargained  for,  and  purchased  from  the 
several  Indian  kings,  such  lands  as  they  occupied  up  to  that 


LANDS  AND  PRODUCTS  225 

date.  The  purchase  price  was  often  in  trifling  articles,  such 
as  grindstones,  blue  beads,  copper  kettles,  and  hatchets. 

"  Parahunt "  near  the  falls  of  the  James  was  the  birth- 
place of  Powhatan.  This  was  purchased  from  him  by  Smith, 
and  called  "  None  Such."  The  price  was  in  part  an  English 
boy  named  Henry  Spelman. 

There  was  another  white  boy  given  to  Powhatan,  though 
not  in  exchange  for  lands.  This  boy's  name  was  Thomas 
Savage;  he  came  to  Virginia  in  the  ship  Johu  &  Francis,  in 
1608,  when  Newport  took  with  him  to  England  a  young 
Indian,  named  Namontuck,  who  undertook  to  count  the  Eng- 
lish by  cutting  a  notch  in  his  stick,  when  he  entered  London. 
Savage  was  given  as  a  hostage  for  the  return  of  the  Indian. 
Thomas  Savage  eventually  settled  in  Accomac  County  at  a 
place  called  Savages  Neck. 

In  1612,  seventy  acres  of  land  were  cleared  near  Farrars 
Island  on  James  Eiver,  and  laid  off  for  corn.  It  was  claimed 
that  this  tract  of  seventy  acres  could  produce  enough  grain 
to  supply  the  existing  population  of  Virginia.  This  clear- 
ing was  begun  in  September,  1611,  with  three  hundred  men. 

Lands  were  purchased  by  Yeardley  and  other  governors 
from  the  Indians  in  exchange  for  corn,  after  the  colony  began 
to  produce  more  than  it  needed  for  its  own  uses. 

In  the  treaty  entered  into  by  Sir  George  Yeardley  and 
Opechanchanough,  the  English  were  granted  permission  to 
"  reside  and  inhabit "  at  such  places  on  the  banks  of  certain 
rivers,  which  were  not  already  occupied  by  the  natives.  After 
the  massacre  of  1622,  the  Indians  were  driven  off  such  lands 
as  the  colony  needed.  They  receded  before  the  white  man, 
further  away  from  the  rivers,  into  the  dense  forests. 

The  London  Company  offered  to  those  who  would  go  to 
Virginia : 

"  That  for  the  present  they  shall  have  meate,  drinke  and 
clothing,  with  an  horse,  orchard  and  garden  for  the  meanest 
15 


226  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

(smallest)  family,  and  possession  of  lands  to  them  and  their 
posterity,  100  acres  for  every  mans  person  that  hath  a  trade, 
or  a  body  able  to  endure  day  laboure,  as  much  for  his  wife,  as 
much  for  his  child,  that  are  of  yeares  to  do  service  to  the 
colony,  with  further  particular  reward  according  to  their 
particular  merits  and  industry." 

The  above  information  was  written  to  the  Lord  Mayor  of 
London  about  1609,  as  an  advertisement  of  the  scheme  of 
colonization.  Everyone  who  had  adventured  his  own  person, 
or  had  sent,  or  brought  others  over  to  Virginia,  at  his  own 
expense,  was  entitled  to  one  hundred  acres  of  land,  personal 
adventure  for  each. 

These  grants  were  called  "  Great  Shares,"  or  "  Shares  of 
Old  Adventure."  This  was  subsequently  reduced  to  fifty 
acres  which,  upon  being  "  peopled  or  settled  upon  "  and  culti- 
vated, would  entitle  the  holder  to  another  fifty  acres.  There 
were  two  other  methods  of  acquiring  lands  in  Virginia.  The 
one  was  upon  merit.  When  any  person  had  conferred  a  bene- 
fit, or  done  a  service  to  the  Company  or  Colony,  a  certain 
number  of  acres  was  bestowed  upon  him,  not  to  exceed  twenty 
"  Great  Shares,"  or  two  thousand  acres.  The  other  was 
called  "Adventure  of  the  Purse."  Every  person  who  paid 
twelve  pounds  ten  shillings  into  the  Company's  Treasury,  was 
given  a  title  to  one  hundred  acres  of  land  anywhere  in  Vir- 
ginia, that  had  not  been  before  granted  to  or  possessed  by 
others. 

Lands  were  granted  by  the  Company  for  many  purposes. 
In  1619,  3000  acres  were  laid  off  for  support  of  the  Governor, 
12,000  acres  for  the  Company,  and  10,000  acres  for  the  use 
of  the  University  at  Henrico.  Each  boy,  and  girl  apprentice 
was  entitled  to  land  at  maturity. 

The  settlement  of  Virginia  beyond  the  Blue  Eidge,  was 
made  principally  from  the  grants  of  land  upon  condition  of 
occupying,  improving  and  defending  them.     Up  until  the 


LANDS    AND    PRODUCTS  227 

date  Virginia  ceded  her  title  to  lands  to  the  United  States, 
she  possessed  more  than  four  fold  as  much  territory  as  any 
other  of  the  thirteen  colonies. 

The  first  share  of  land  granted  from  the  Company  accord- 
ing to  the  King's  letters  patent,  which  promised  to  divide  the 
lauds  at  the  end  of  seven  years,  after  1609,  was  issued  to 
Simon  Codrington,  on  March  16,  1616,  during  the  Quarter 
Court,  Hilary  Term. 

In  1613,  Sir  Thomas  Dale  allotted  to  each  man  three  acres. 
This  was  to  those  persons  who  had  been  brought  to  Virginia 
at  the  Company's  expense.  This  was  really  no  good  title  to 
the  land,  as  the  colonist  to  whom  it  was  given  had  to  work 
eleven  months  for  the  store  (warehouse),  and  had  but  two 
barrels  of  corn  from  thence. 

The  settlement  at  Bermuda  Hundreds  (in  1613)  enjoyed 
more  favorable  terms : 

"  For  one  month's  labor  for  the  company,  which  must 
neither  be  in  seed  time  nor  harvest,  they  were  exempted  from 
all  further  service,  and  for  this  exemption  they  only  paid  2^- 
barrels  of  corn  as  a  yearly  tribute  to  the  store." 

During  the  first  two  centuries  succeeding  the  settlement  at 
Jamestown,  the  navigable  streams  were  necessarily  the  main 
highways  of  commerce  and  of  intercourse  between  the  several 
settlements,  which  at  that  period  did  not  extend  far  inland. 
The  settlements  were  extended  along  the  coast  line  for  hun- 
dreds of  miles,  and  inland  not  more  than  one  hundred  miles 
from  the  sea  shore,  around  the  head  waters  of  the  streams. 
Beyond  this  was  a  wild  wilderness  of  dense  forest. 

The  colony  of  Virginia  at  first  confined  its  settlements  to 
the  banks  of  the  James  River,  thence  extending  along  the 
affluenl  Btreams  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  the  Eappahan- 
nock  and  Potomac  rivers. 

Surveys  were  required  by  laws  as  per  act  of  the  General 
Assembly,  Mi I reh  5,  L623-4,  following: 


228  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

"  13  Act.  That  every  privatt  planters  devident  shall  be  sur- 
veyed and  laid  out  in  several  and  the  bounds  recorded  by  the 
survey;  yf  there  be  any  pettie  differences  betwixt  neighbors 
about  their  devidents  to  be  divided  by  the  surveyor  if  of  much 
importance  to  be  referred  to  the  governor  and  council.  The 
surveyor  to  have  10  lbs  of  tobacco  upon  every  hundred  acres." 

"Act  LXIII.  Every  man  shall  enclose  his  ground  with  suffi- 
cient fences — uppon  his  owne  perill." 

Certain  lands  were  allotted  to  Indians  as  per  following : 

"  Act  LI  March  1657-8.  No  grants  of  land  to  issue  to  any  Eng- 
lishman until  the  Indians  be  first  served  with  the  proportion  of 
50  acres  of  land  for  each  bowman,  and  the  proportion  for  each 
particular  towne  to  lie  together,  with  libertie  of  all  waste  and 
unfenced  land  for  hunting  for  the  Indians." 

According  to  the  census  of  1900,  there  were  in  that  year 
three  hundred  and  fifty-four  Indians  in  Virginia,  as  follows : 
108  in  Elizabeth  City  County,  24  in  Hanover  County,  152  in 
King  William  County,  1  in  New  Kent  County,  52  in  Norfolk 
County,  8  in  Prince  George  County,  1  in  Prince  William 
County,  6  in  Washington  County,  1  in  city  of  Bristol,  and  1 
in  city  of  Richmond.  Probably  all  together  they  do  not  now 
own  enough  of  Virginia's  soil  to  give  each  one  much  more 
than  enough  for  a  garden  patch. 

The  most  extravagrant  grant  of  Virginia's  land  was  made 
by  King  Charles  II,  to  Lords  Arlington  and  Culpeper,  two 
favorites  of  the  King.  The  grant  was  dated  February  25, 
in  the  year  1673.  It  granted  for  the  term  of  thirty-one  years 
"the  entire  territory,  tract  and  dominion  commonly  called 
Virginia,  with  the  territory  of  Accomac,  with  all  rivers,  waters 
and  royalties  whatsoever;  are  granted,  as  aforesaid,  and 
bounded  on  the  north,  with  the  dominion  of  Maryland,  on  the 
east,  with  the  sea,  on  the  south  with  Carolina,  with  all  the 
islands  within  the  said  bounds,  and  within  10  leagues  of  the 
shore." 


LANDS   AND   PRODUCTS  229 

This  was  the  cause  of  great  dissatisfaction  in  the  colony. 
The  General  Assembly  passed  an  act  for  its  repeal  and  agents 
were  sent  to  England  for  that  purpose.  Finally  after  failing 
to  sell  this  right  to  Virginia's  agents,  Lord  Arlington  con- 
veyed his  right  to  Lord  Culpeper,  who  was  Governor  and 
Captain  General  of  Virginia  from  May  10, 1680,  to  September 
10,  1683.  Culpeper  finally  relinquished  his  right  to  the 
King  in  16 SI,  and  Virginia  was  again  under  the  protection 
and  control  of  the  Crown.  This  grant,  together  with  that  of 
the  Northern  Neck,  heretofore  mentioned,  gave  the  early 
colonists  an  experience  of  monopolies  and  monopolists. 

III.    Farming. 

Prior  to  the  Civil  "War,  the  people  of  Tidewater  Virginia 
got  their  living  by  tilling  the  soil,  by  fishing  and  oystering, 
and  from  the  products  of  the  forests. 

The  larger  farms  were  conducted  on  the  "  five  field  system," 
that  is,  one  field  in  clover,  two  fields  in  wheat,  and  two  in 
corn.  The  clover  was  for  pasture  and  improvement  of  the 
soil.  Except  in  localties  contiguous  to  the  cities,  there  was 
no  attempt  to  produce  garden  vegetables  for  marketing. 

The  main  agricultural  products  of  the  counties  remote 
from  railroad  facilities  were  corn,  wheat,  oats,  and  in  some 
counties  tobacco,  together  with  the  several  vegetables,  only 
for  home  uses. 

The  first  cultivated  crop  of  the  soil  of  Virginia  offered  to 
the  old  world  was  tobacco,  the  cultivation  of  which  it  is  said 
was  begun  in  1612  by  John  Eolfe,  who  married  Pocahontas. 
It  soon  became  the  staple  crop  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others, 
bo  much  so  that  laws  were  enacted  limiting  the  number  of 
plants  to  be  cultivated  by  each  hand,  and  the  number  of 
leaves  to  be  gathered  from  each  plant,  the  price  at  which 
it  was  to  be  sold,  etc.  To  prevent  a  scarcity  of  corn,  each 
master  of  a  family  was  compelled  to  plant  and  sufficiently 


230  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

tend  two  acres  a  head,  for  each  laboring  person  in  his  family, 
and  as  an  encouragement  to  cultivate  that  article  "every 
planter  might  sell  it  as  dear  as  he  could." 

In  1G17,  Capt.  Argall  returned  to  Virginia  from  England 
as  Deputy  Governor ;  he  found  "  the  market  place  and  other 
spare  places  in  Jamestown  planted  in  tobacco."  Tobacco  was 
then  selling  in  London  at  ten  shillings  a  pound,  equivalent 
to  $2.50. 

Eev.  Dr.  Jas.  Blair,  the  first  president  of  William  and 
Mary  College,  went  to  England  in  1691  to  secure  funds  to 
train  young  men  for  the  ministry.  He  applied  to  Sir  Ed- 
ward Seymour,  the  treasury  Commissioner,  and  in  his  argu- 
ment for  aid  stated  that  "  the  people  of  Virginia  had  souls 
to  save  as  well  as  the  people  of  England."  To  this  Seymour 
exclaimed :     "  Damn  your  souls  !     Grow  tobacco !" 

The  opinions  of  three  centuries  ago  concerning  tobacco  are 
interesting.     Hariot  wrote  of  tobacco  as  follows : 

"  There  is  an  herbe  called  by  the  inhabitants  "  Uppowoc." 
In  the  West  Indies  it  hath  divers  names  according  to  the 
sevrall  places  and  countries  where  it  groweth  and  is  used. 
The  Spaniards  call  it  Tobacco.  The  leaves  thereof  being 
dried  and  brought  into  powder ;  they  use  to  take  the  fume  or 
smoke  thereof  by  sucking  it  through  pipes  made  of  claie  into 
their  stomachs  and  heads;  from  thence  it  purgeth  all  the 
pores  and  passages  of  the  body  by  which  means  thereof  not 
only  preserveth  the  body  from  obstruction;  but  also  if  any 
be,  so  that  they  have  not  been  of  too  long  continuance,  in 
short  time  breaketh  them;  whereby  their  bodies  are  notably 
possessed  in  health,  and  know  not  many  grevious  diseases 
wherewithall  wee  in  England  are  oftentimes  afflicted." 

"  We  ourselves  during  the  time  we  were  there  used  to  suck 
it  after  their  manner,  and  also  since  our  return,  and  have 
found  many  rare  and  wonderful  experiments  of  the  virtues 
thereof;  of  which  the  relation  would  require  a  volume  of 
itself." 


LANDS    AXD    PRODUCTS       .  231 

King  James  I  had  a  different  opinion  of  tobacco.  In  his 
treatise  entitled:  "A  Counterblast  to  Tobacco,"  he  said: 
"  That  its  fumes  resembles  the  horrible  Stygian  smoke  of  the 
pit  that  is  bottomless." 

Stith  in  his  history  states  that:  "Tobacco,  a  stinking, 
nauseous,  and  unpalatable  weed,  is  certainly  an  odd  commo- 
dity to  make  the  staple  and  riches  of  a  country.  It  is  neither 
of  necessity  nor  ornament  to  human  life;  but  the  use  of  it 
depends  upon  humor  and  custom  and  may  be  looked  upon  as 
one  of  the  most  singular  and  extraordinary  pieces  of  luxury 
that  the  wantonness  of  man  hath  yet  invented  or  given  into." 

There  were  twe  noted  kinds,  Oronoko — the  stronger — and 
sweet  scented — the  milder.  The  latter  was  preferred  by  the 
ministers  for  the  payment  of  their  salaries. 

Until  comparatively  recent  years,  very  few  of  the  farmers 
made  attempt  to  cultivate  hay  crops.  The  long  food  for  cat- 
tle and  horses  was  formed  from  the  corn  crop.  Corn  fodder, 
composed  of  the  corn  stalk  blades,  with  the  tops  of  the  stalks, 
and  the  shucks  from  the  ear  of  corn,  together  with  wheat  and 
oat  straw,  formed  the  main  foods  of  the  farm  animals. 

When  the  ears  of  corn  had  passed  their  soft  and  milky  / 
e,  the  leaves  were  stripped  off  the  stalk,  bound  in  bundles 
by  a  band  of  the  same  material,  and  hung  upon  the  stalk  to 
>n,  and  afterwards  were  stacked.  Later  the  tops  of  the 
stalks  were  cut  off  just  above  the  hanging  ears  of  corn,  and 
bound  together  in  bundles  with  the  same  material,  and  after  a 
few  'lavs  fin-in'/  were  stacked  near  the  cuppen  (cowpen),  or 
barn  yard,  for  winter's  f<  The  fodder  crop  was  seldom 

housed. 

When  the  ears  of  com  were  shucked  in  the  field,  the  shucks 
Were   left   hanging   In   the   stalk    for   til"   entile   to   feed    unon. 

Com  shucking  was  often  made  on"  <>f  the  festivals  of  en- 
joyment in  which  the  aegro  was  tli"  main  participant.  In 
the  fall,  after  the  blades  were  pulled,  the  tops  cut,  and  all  was 


232  LIFE  IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

stacked,  the  corn  in  its  shuck  (husk)  was  pulled  from  the 
v  stalks,  hauled  to  the  barn  yard,  or  "  fodder  pen,"  where  it 
was  "ricked  up"  in  a  high,  long  row.  Notice  was  widely 
given  by  the  servants  of  the  appointed  time  set  for  "  the 
shucking,"  which  usually  began  after  sundown,  and  was  con- 
tinued until  late  in  the  night. 

Such  occasions  were  largely  attended,  and  as  they  usually 
came  in  squads  of  two  or  three  to  a  dozen,  across  the  fields, 
around  the  sandy  roads,  or  through  the  paths  in  the  dark, 
quiet,  piney  woods,  the  night  was  made  joyous  by  their  sing- 
ing. During  the  days  of  slavery,  and  for  several  years  there- 
after, the  negroes  sang  at  their  several  tasks,  or  even  when 
tramping  through  the  woods,  or  in  the  roads. 

The  shucking  feast  was  started  by  some  one  with  a  strong, 
musical  voice  who,  when  mounting  the  corn  pile,  reached 
down  for  an  ear  of  corn,  and  tossed  it  up  in  the  air,  and 
started  the  song,  as  he  walked  from  end  to  end  of  the  pile. 
He  was  joined  in  the  chorous  by  the  crowd,  and  followed  in 
rhythmic  motions  of  their  bodies  in  unison  with  his  tune,  and 
when  the  singing  was  inspiring  and  they  "  got  hot,"  some 
daring  shucker  mounted  the  pile  of  corn  also,  and  challenged 
the  leader  to  a  wrestle  by  starting  some  new  song : 

"  Dis  co'n  it  are  good, 
An'  dat  yo'  dem  all  know, 
It's  on  dis  yere  plantation 
Dis  good  co'n  did  grow. 

Shuck  co'n, 

O,  shuck  co'n. 

"  Yo'  dem  has  money 
An'  I'll  soon  hav'  some, 
Cum  len'  me  a  dollah 
An'  let  me  go  home. 
Shuck  co'n, 
0,  shuck  co'n." 


LANDS   AND   PRODUCTS 


233 


During  their  labors,  they  were  served  with  something  to 
drink  by  passing  the  bottle,  jug,  or  decanter,  and  glass  from 
hand  to  hand  until  all  who  desired  the  beverage  were  served. 
Few  of  them  refused  a  "dram/'  but  seldom  indulged  to 
excess. 

It  would  daze  an  advocate  of  temperance  to  witness  the 
look  of  satisfaction  and  contentment,  which  was  indicated 
upon  the  faces,  and  the  upturned  eyes  of  the  shuckers  as  they 
turned  the  last  drop  of  a  well  filled  goblet  into  their  wide- 
open  mouths,  and  grunted  a  satisfied  a-a-h,  and  smacked  their 
lips  to  get  the  last  remaining  flavor  of  "  fire  water  "  within 
safe  precincts. 

An  abundant  supper  ended  the  feast,  and  after  the  assembly 
cut  a  few  "hoe  downs,"  in  which  the  aged  as  well  as  the 
youths  could  "  do  their  stunts,"  keeping  time  to  lively  patted 
or  hummed  tunes,  they  dispersed  as  they  came,  laughing  and 
singing  as  they  returned  through  the  woods,  the  fields,  and 
the  roads. 

The  negro  slave  was  neither  a  drunkard,  nor  a  rowdy. 
Those  inclined  to  either  of  these  vices  were  kept  in  restraint 
by  their  owners. 

The  old-fashioned  farming  in  Tidewater  Virginia  was  not 
conducted  with  a  view  to  improving  the  soil.  Peruvian  guano 
was  extensively  used  as  a  fertilizer  for  the  present  crops,  and 
was  of  little  or  no  advantage  to  the  future  improvement  of 
the  soils.  Much  of  the  lands  were  not  plowed  deeper  than 
three  or  four  inches,  so  as  to  keep  the  offal  and  the  fertilizer 
as  near  the  top  as  possible. 

Few  of  the  farmers  fallowed  their  lands  for  corn.  They 
usually  "  lapped  "  two  furrows,  and  when  planting,  they  split 
the  ground  between  them,  and  covered  the  corn  with  the  foot. 
Side  hills  were  "  circled  "  and  lapped  to  prevent  washing  by 
the  rains.  In  circling  hillsides,  their  several  turns  and  wind- 
ings were  followed  with  a  view  to  so  arrange  the  furrows  as  to 


234  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

distribute  the  rainfalls  as  evenly  as  possible  throughout  the 
whole  hillsides.  Experienced  hands  were  required  for  this 
work. 

In  the  very  early  years  of  Virginia  the  grain  crops,  such  as 
wheat  and  oats,  were  cut  with  a  sickle,  a  curved  knife,  twelve 
or  fifteen  inches  long,  with  serrated  edges,  and  a  wooden 
handle.  It  was  used  in  one  hand,  while  the  other  hand  and 
arm,  by  a  backward  motion,  gathered  and  grasped  the  grain 
into  a  bunch  to  be  cut. 

This  was  succeeded  by  the  cradle,  a  thin  steel  blade  slightly 
curved,  between  three  and  four  feet  in  length.  At  the  butt 
end — right  hand — was  a  socket  for  the  snead — a  long  handle — 
to  which  was  attached  two  "  nubs,"  one  for  each  hand  to 
grasp  while  using  the  cradle.  Fastened  to  the  blade,  and  to 
the  snead,  were  five  or  six  fingers  of  wood  above  the  blade,  and 
running  parallel  with  it,  to  aid  in  holding  up  the  cut  grain 
while  the  reaper  carried  his  cradle  across  the  swath  and 
dropped  the  contents  in  a  row. 

A  ripe  harvest  field  with  numerous  cradlers  was  a  pretty 
sight,  and  an  inspiring  evidence  of  prosperity.  Its  golden 
headed  grain  waved  with  slightest  breeze  like  a  sea  subsiding 
after  a  storm.  The  stalwart  harvesters  followed  each  other 
with  their  cradles  tightly  grippled,  and  in  rhythmic  motion 
grappled  the  standing  grain,  and  with  a  musical  "  swish  "  of 
the  blade  cropped  the  stalks  from  their  hold  upon  mother 
earth,  and  laid  them  low  for  the  "  binders,"  who  followed 
closely  behind  with  rake  in  hand  to  gather  the  grain  against 
their  upturned  shins,  and  hastily  grasp  from  it  a  wisp  to  form 
the  band  and  make  a  sheaf. 

During  the  harvest,  the  farmer's  kitchen  was  a  scene  of 
busy  bustle  while  meals  were  being  prepared  for  the  hearty 
harvesters.  The  odors  from  a  Tidewater  Virginia  kitchen 
during  those  days  savored  of  juicy  country  ham,  fresh  lamb, 
and  the  inevitable  fried  chicken.     Added  to  these  were  every 


LANDS   AND    PEODUCTS  235 

kind  of  vegetables,  together  with  a  bountiful  supply  of  green 
apple  and  huckleberry  pies,  and  abundance  of  sweet  milk, 
buttermilk,  and  "  bonnie  clabber." 

A  much  sought  for  dish  upon  such  occasions  was  "  pot 
liquor,"  a  product  of  the  times  of  great  abundance.  "  Laws  a 
mussy,  chile,  whar  has  yo'  bin  all  dis  time  widout  knowin'  w'at 
pot  liquor  is,"  said  an  old  negro  mammy  to  an  inquisitive  one 
who  was  a  stranger  to  the  customs  of  old  time  Virginia 
harvests. 

"  Ef  yo'  war  to  drink  a  gourd  full  uv  ol'  Missus  pot  liquor 
yo'  jes'  hanker  fo'  mo'.     Dat  yo'  would !" 

"  Pot  liquor  "  was  not  of  as  humble  origin  as  its  name  im- 
plies. During  occasions  which  demanded  "big  dinners,"  a 
whole  ham,  or  possibly  two,  were  placed  in  a  big  pot  of  water 
and  suspended  from  the  chimney  crane  over  the  fire.  When 
the  meat  was  partly  cooked,  cabbages  were  added,  and  later 
peeled  potatoes  were  placed  in  the  pot,  and  when  these  vege- 
tables were  partly  cooked,  corn  meal  dumplings  were  added, 
and  after  all  were  sufficiently  cooked  together,  they  were  taken 
out  and  a  handful  of  corn  meal  was  sprinkled  over  the  pot 
liquor  and  allowed  to  cook  a  few  minutes.  The  pot  liquor  was 
thus  seasoned  with  juicy,  fat  ham,  scraps  of  the  cabbages, 
potatoes,  and  corn  meal  dumplings,  and  thickened  with  corn 
meal.  It  needed  no  other  seasoning,  and  was  superior  in 
flavor,  and  strength  of  nourishment  to  the  many  soups  of  the 
present  day  cooking. 

These  scenes  of  thrift  and  abundance  have  passed  from  view, 
and  are  now  succeeded  by  rattling  harvesting  machines,  which 
know  no  pleasure  other  than  the  grinding  noises  which  wear 
them  away,  and  add  to  the  harvesl  field  the  chilling  aspect  of 
a  machine  shop,  where  before  was  laughter  and  joy,  mingled 
with  praise  for  him  who  "cut  the  widest  swath." 

Before  the  introduction  of  threshing  machines,  the  crops  of 
wheat  and  oats  were  threshed  with  flails,  or  trod  out  by  cattle 
or  horses. 


236  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

The  threshing  by  flail  was  done  upon  the  barn  floor,  or  upon 
a  piece  of  hard,  cleared  ground.  For  purpose  of  treading  the 
grain  out  by  horses,  or  cattle,  a  hard,  level  spot  of  ground  was 
fenced  in,  and  after  the  grain  was  set  up  on  the  butt  ends,  the 
cattle  or  horses  were  driven  around  the  enclosure  at  as  rapid 
gait  as  possible ;  horses  were  sometimes  ridden  several  abreast 
around  the  enclosure.  This  was  a  tedious  and  expensive 
method.  The  treading  usually  ended  with  a  frolic  for  the 
neighbors  who  brought  their  horses  to  assist,  and  between 
them  and  their  teams  they  ate  nearly  the  full  value  of  their 
labors. 

There  was  objection  to  threshing  machines  upon  their  first 
introduction,  as  it  was  believed  they  broke  the  wheat  grains, 
and  that  there  was  danger  of  the  machine  flying  to  pieces. 
There  was  a  nervous  old  gentleman  well  known  in  the  North- 
ern Neck,  who  was  a  good  and  extensive  farmer,  but  strongly 
opposed  to  new  methods,  and  especially  to  the  introduction  of 
farming  machinery.  He  was  finally  prevailed  upon  to  permit 
his  wheat  being  threshed  by  a  threshing  machine,  which  was 
propelled  by  horses  attached  to  arms  of  the  machine,  and 
moving  in  a  circle.  He  critically  eyed  the  machine,  and  its 
fixtures  as  they  were  being  put  together,  and  repeatedly 
cautioned  his  negro  servants  to  "  stand  clear,"  and  to  keep 
their  eyes  and  ears  open,  and  not  get  entangled  in  the 
machine. 

When  the  threshing  began,  the  noise  of  the  iron  cog-wheels, 
the  rapid  scattering  of  the  straw  as  it  was  thrown  out  by  the 
machine,  and  the  shouts  of  the  drivers  to  the  horses,  created  a 
greater  confusing  din  of  sounds  than  the  old  gentleman 
could  endure.  With  wild  gesticulations  of  his  hands  and 
his  walking  cane,  he  ordered  his  servants  away  from  the 
machine,  and  disdaining  the  haste  with  which  his  crop  was 
being  disposed  of,  he  shouted  to  the  operator  to  stop,  and  take 
the  machine  out  of  his  sight  and  hearing.     "  It  took  me  twelve 


Watermelon  Hucksters  on  the  way  to  Richmond  Market,  from 
Chickahominy  River  Section. 


N 


/showing  tft.*.Loccjt  frort- 

<?/*'"  J 

JY.tfUK/f  CiiJ>i>rJ)frisf 
of 
Yin/i/tn 


ZZmM    i    : _ / 


Virginia. 


LANDS   AND   PRODUCTS  237 

months  to  raise  this  crop  of  wheat,"  said  he,  "  and  I'll  be 
damned  if  I'll  let  you  or  any  other  man  thresh  it  out  in  three 
hours  with  an  infernal  yankee  machine  which  is  liable  to  fly 
to  pieces  at  any  moment  and  kill  some  of  my  best  niggers." 

The  owners  of  numerous  servants  were  also  the  owners  of 
the  best  agricultural  lands  which  usually  were  found  near  the 
rivers.  The  poorer  classes  were  thus  forced  into  the  central 
parts  of  the  respective  peninsulas,  where  they  cultivated 
"  patches "  rather  than  extensive  fields.  These  patches  of 
ground  were  the  clearings  made  in  the  forests  after  the  saw 
mill  timber,  and  cord  wood  were  taken  therefrom. 

IV.    The  Foeests. 

In  many  of  the  peninsulas,  the  lands  gradually  rise  as  they 
advance  from  the  river  bottom  sections  until  the  central  por- 
tions of  the  peninsula  are  reached.  These  elevated  sections 
are  generally  composed  of  lighter  soils  than  the  river  bottom 
lands.  Much  of  these  higher  lands  are  "  turned  out "  to  the 
growing  of  timber  for  railroad  ties,  cord  wood,  and  saw  mill 
material.  Such  localties  are  usually  designated  as  "  the 
forest.'  Certain  neighborhoods  in  the  respective  forests  are 
humorously  nick-named,  such  as  "  Quintin  Oak  "  in  North- 
umberland and  Richmond  counties,  "  Red  Shin "  in  West- 
moreland, "  The  Barrens  "  in  King  George,  "  Chinquapin  " 
in  Essex,  "  Sandy  Lane  "  in  Caroline,  "  Rabbit  Branch  "  in 
Fairfax.     The  southern  end  of  Gloucester  is  called  "  Guinea." 

In  some  of  the  forest  sections,  there  is  more  or  less  local 
dialect  spoken.  A  "  Down  East "  captain  who  was  loading 
his  vessel  with  ship  timber  in  one  of  the  interior  streams  of 
tidewater,  went  into  one  of  the  forest  cross  roads  stores  and 
asked,  in  the  nasal  tones  peculiar  to  his  section,  for  a  bushel 
of  "  onyions." 

The  store  keeper  after  trying  to  repeat  the  request  of  the 
Yankee  captain,  shook  his  head,  and  replied  that  he  was  sorry 


238  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

he  could  not  accommodate  him.  After  the  departure  of  the 
captain,  a  native  of  that  section  who  was  present  when  the 
request  for  onions  was  made  and  who,  in  former  days  had 
made  several  trips  to  Cape  Cod  with  sweet  potatoes,  told 
the  store  keeper :  "  The  gentleman  wanted  '  ingyions,'  I 
reckon." 

"  Ingyions,  you  say !"  replied  the  merchant.  "  Ovah  yonda 
in  my  co'n  crib  I've  right  smaht  mo'an  fohty  bushel.  Call  the 
man  back  an'  teach  him  how  to  talk !" 

Notwithstanding  these  occasional  "local  breaks  of  forest 
dialect,"  there  is  probably  no  place  in  the  United  States  where 
the  English  language  is  spoken  with  more  purity,  and  even 
amongst  those  whose  claims  to  the  higher  education  are 
limited. 

The  steamboat  facilities  prior  to  the  Civil  War  were  very 
meagre  throughout  some  portions  of  Tidewater  Virginia,  in 
comparison  with  the  present  day,  and  because  of  the  tedious 
journeys  by  sail  vessels,  or  overland  journeys  on  horseback  to 
the  surrounding  cities,  there  were  some  persons  resident  there 
who  seldom  or  ever  visited  a  city,  and  therefore  knew  not  by 
experience  the  utilities  of  city  life,  such  as  the  use  of  gas  for 
lighting  purposes.  Such  people  are  now  known  as  "  gas 
blowers,"  a  class  now  almost  extinct. 

"  Old  man  B dine  "  as  he  was  most  familiarly  known 

where  he  resided,  in  "  Chinquopin  precinct,"  was  one  of  those. 
For  the  first  time  in  his  long  life,  he  was  "  obliged  "  to  go  to 
Eichmond  City,  distant  sixty  odd  miles  from  his  home. 

He  nervously  prepared  for  his  new  journey  by  giving  his 
old  horse  an  extra  heavy  feed  the  night  previous  to  his  start, 
and  the  next  morning  had  his  "  nigger  chap  "  give  the  nag  an 
extra  rubbing  down  with  corn  cobs  and  a  wisp  of  straw,  to 
"  slick  the  animal's  coat."  To  keep  alive  his  master's  spirits 
the  negro  filled  to  overflowing  a  black  bottle  with  freshly  dis- 
tilled apple  brandy,  a  product  of  Mr.  B's  apple  orchard,  and 


LANDS   AND    PRODUCTS  239 

securely  fastened  to  his  master's  saddle  eight  bundles  of 
bright  fodder,  within  which  were  stored  six  ears  of  corn,  for 
the  animal's  noonday  lunch,  and  the  good  wife  packed  up  for 
him  a  "  big  snack  "  composed  of  chicken  legs,  ham,  and  pigs' 
feet,  surrounded  by  two  goodly  chunks  of  Johnny  Cake. 

Thus  well  equipped,  he  made  his  start  scanning  each  cross 
roads  sign  board  carefully  before  entering  into  a  new  road, 
and  to  ward  off  the  lonesomeness  of  the  journey,  he  ofttimea 
drew  the  cork  of  his  bottle.  After  scanning  the  heavens  re- 
peatedly, he  at  last  concluded  it  must  be  noontime,  and  turn- 
ing into  a  clearing  by  the  roadside,  he  dismounted,  fed  his 
horse,  and  began  his  snack,  not  more  than  half  of  which  he 
had  appetite  for.  After  prudently  pocketing  the  unfinished 
**' snack,"  he  bridled  his  horse  and  resumed  his  journey. 
About  night  fall  he  reached  the  city,  tired  but  much  buoyed 
up  by  the  contents  of  his  black  bottle,  all  of  which  he  had  now 
imbibed.  Upon  inquiry  he  was  directed  to  one  of  the  best 
hotels  in  the  city,  which  upon  reaching  he  boldly  rode  across 
the  sidewalk  to  its  door,  and  called  in  his  loudest  tones  to 
"  send  out  a  nigger  to  take  my  horse,  give  him  twelve  bundles 
of  fodder  and  twelve  ears  of  corn,  for  the  critter's  had  a  long 
journey."  He  was  politely  informed  that  there  was  no  stable 
attached  to  the  hotel.  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  They  can  beat  you  in 
Tappahannock.  There's  two  taverns  there,  and  each  of  'em 
keeps  a  shed  for  nothing  else  but  horses."  It  was  agreed  to 
send  his  horse  to  a  livery  stable,  and  as  he  was  already  full  of 
"  snack "  and  apple  brandy,  he  declined  supper,  and  was 
shown  to  his  room  by  a  young  negro  servant,  who  before  leav- 
ing, lighted  the  gas  in  the  room.  The  old  man  was  so 
fatigued  by  his  journey  that  he  at  once  lay  down  upon  the  bed 
for  a  nap  before  undressing,  and  as  the  gas  light  showed  down 
in  his  eyes  he  endeavored  to  blow  it  out  from  his  posture  in 
the  bed,  but  failing  to  do  so,  he  landed  his  old  felt  hat 
squarely  upon  the  jet  and  out  went  the  bright  flame,  but  the 


240  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

gas  nevertheless  escaped  into  his  room  and  through  the  tran- 
som to  the  corridor  of  the  house  where  its  odors  were  detected 
by  the  night  watchman  of  the  hotel  while  going  his  rounds 
throughout  the  corridors.  Upon  his  locating  the  room  from 
which  the  gas  issued,  the  watchman  loudly  rapped  for  admit- 
tance. The  old  man  nearly  dazed  by  the  escaping  fumes,  at 
last  opened  his  door,  and  was  informed  that  the  gas  waa 
escaping  in  his  room : 

"Don't  you  smell  it,"  said  the  watchman.  "Yes,  I've 
been,  smelling  something  rotten  for  some  time,"  said  he.  "  I 
believe  its  dead  rats  in  the  house.  If  you'd  keep  a  cat  or  two 
here  you  wouldn't  have  such  a  smell."  Upon  being  told  of 
his  mistake,  and  being  shown  how  to  close  the  gas  jet,  the  old 
fellow  impatiently  exclaimed ;  "  Durn  your  gas  lamp  to  the 
devil;  take  it  out  and  send  me  a  tallow  candle  such  as  I  am 
used  to." 

It  was  in  the  forest  sections  that  the  "old  fields"  were 
most  commonly  found.  An  old  field  was  a  piece  of  land  con- 
taining an  indefinite  number  of  acres  which  had  been  over- 
worked and  become  too  poor  to  longer  till  with  profit.  On 
such  poor  lands,  one  might  see  during  the  "  fodder  pulling  " 
season,  "  a  six  foot  man  pulling  fodder  from  a  three  foot  corn 
stalk." 

The  first  vegetation  of  the  old  field  after  being  "turned 
out,"  was  "  broom  sedge,"  which  when  in  full  growth  much 
resembles  timothy  grass.  It  is  said  that  broom  sedge  was 
first  brought  to  America  in  the  hay  for  the  British  army 
during  the  Eevolution.  In  the  early  spring,  its  dried  growth 
which  stood  upon  the  ground  was  burned  off  to  enable  the 
new  growth  to  appear  for  pasture.  When  first  it  appeared, 
after  the  burning,  it  was  grazed  by  the  cattle,  though  there  is 
little  nourishment  in  it.  As  soon  as  it  attains  a  height  of  six 
or  eight  inches,  it  becomes  so  hard,  fibry  and  tough  that  stock 
refuse  to  graze  it. 


LANDS   AND   PRODUCTS 


241 


In  olden  time,  it  was  the  delight  of  every  good  house- 
keeper in  Tidewater  Virginia  to  keep  a  clean  fire  hearth,  and 
for  this  purpose  "hearth  brooms"  were  made  of  wisps  of 
broom  sedge  tightly  bound  with  yarn  string. 

In  due  time  "  scrub  pines  "  appear  on  the  old  fields  and  as 
the  fertility  of  the  soil  is  increased  by  the  forest  offal,  the 
scrub  pines  give  way  to  more  valuable  timber  growth,  and 
then  "  the  old  field  is  lost  in  the  woods  "  until  the  ringing 
echo  of  the  woodman's  axe  is  heard  felling  some  mighty  giant 
of  the  forest  as  in  the  days  of  yore. 

V.     Schools. 

It  was  in  the  forest  section  that  the  "old  field  schools" 
thrived.  Before  the  Civil  War,  the  educational  facilities  of 
Virginia  were  maintained  at  private  expense.  In  the  several 
counties  there  were  private  schools,  many  of  which  were  called 
"  academies."  Some  of  the  prosperous  families  remote  from 
these  academies  hired  governesses.  Those  living  in  the 
"  forest "  who  could  not  afford  the  expense  of  academy  schools, 
or  the  hire  of  a  governess,  clubbed  together  in  the  several 
neighborhoods,  built  "log  cabins  for  schools  in  old  fields," 
hired  teachers,  with  the  agreement  that  they  should  "board 
round  "  with  the  several  families  whose  children  they  taught 
the   three   Es— "  readin'  "— "  ritin'  "— "  rithmetic." 

In  order  that  the  burden  of  caring  for  the  new  teacher 
might  be  evenly  distributed,  it  was  the  custom  to  have  a  meet- 
ing of  the  pupils'  parents  at  the  school  house,  and  there  dis- 
cuss the  subject  of  bearing  the  expense.  Those  who  could 
not  6pare  the  money  were  allowed  the  opportunity  of  con- 
tributing their  allotted  share  of  the  expense  by  way  of  pro- 
viding lodging,  and  laundering  for  the  teacher.  At  one  of 
these  meetings  there  were  three  old  widows  whose  children 
needed  schooling,  but  whose  finances  were  at  such  a  low  ebb 
they  were  not  able  to  pay  their  proportion  in  cash,  but  ex- 
16 


242  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

pressed  their  anxiety  to  have  a  teacher  and  share  the  burden 
as  far  as  they  were  able. 

When  the  question  of  providing  the  cash  for  salary  was 
settled,  the  spokesman  asked  one  of  the  widows  what  she  could 
do  for  the  teacher,  to  which  she  replied : 

"  I  kin  eat  him  a  while  if  he's  as  easy  as  the  last  one.     " 

"  Well/'  said  the  next  widow,  "  If  Sister  Johnson  is  gwins 
to  eat  him,  I'll  agree  to  sleep  him,  but  I  can't  wash  him." 

"  Well,"  said  the  third  widow,  "  I'll  do  the  best  I  kin  to 
wash  him,  but  I'll  tell  you  now,  I  ain't  much  on  biled  shirts." 

The  log  cabin  schools  were  furnished  with  pine  benches, 
formed  of  heavy  boards  or  slabs,  without  backs,  and  were  sup- 
ported from  the  floor  by  two  legs  of  pine  or  oak  saplings,  in- 
serted at  either  ends,  through  inch  and  a  half,  or  two  inch 
augur  holes. 

On  the  sunny  side  of  the  cabin,  one  of  the  logs  was  cut  out 
for  about  two  thirds  of  the  length  of  the  cabin,  from  about 
midway  of  the  height  between  the  eaves  and  the  dirt  floor, 
and  the  opening  thus  made  was  covered  with  a  board  hung 
upon  leather  hinges,  so  that  it  could  be  lowered  to  give  pro- 
tection against  the  storms,  or  raised  to  give  light  to  the 
"  writing  scholars."  This  board  was  called  the  "  flap  board." 
The  writing  desk  consisted  of  a  board  fastened  along 'upon 
pegs  immediately  under  the  opening  for  the  flap  board,  and 
there  the  writing  scholars  sat  upon  three  legged  stools.  Quill 
pens,  and  unruled  paper  were  in  common  use.  The  eld  time 
teacher  was  a  tyrant  to  his  scholars,  and  believed  in  tanning 
the  hides  of  the  unruly  ones  with  hickory  switches. 

"  Dunce  caps,"  and  "  dunce  stools  "  were  frequent  instru- 
ments of  torture  to  the  dull  scholars.  A  "  dunce  cap  "  was 
made  of  paper  formed  in  the  shape  of  a  cone,  and  upon  which 
the  word  "  dunce  "  was  written.  This  was  placed  upon  the 
head  of  the  stupid,  or  negligent  scholar,  who  failed  to  repeat 
the  lesson.     The  "  dunce  stool "  was  small,  and  three  legged. 


LANDS   AXD    PRODUCTS  243 

It   was   sometimes   called   the   "creepy  stool,"   because   the 
scholars  usually  "  crept,"  or  were  slow  to  mount  it. 

This  sort  of  schooling,  together  with  the  "  College  of  the 
Stump  "  made  Virginia  famous  for  its  orators. 

A  "  stump  speaker  "  was  one  who  could  get  upon  a  stump 
of  a  tree  at  a  "  new  ground  clearing,"  and  give  his  hearers  a 
"  good  talk." 

The  first  public  free  school  system  of  Virginia  was  pro- 
vided for  under  the  constitution  of  the  State  which  was  rati- 
fied July  6,  1869.  The  legislature  of  1870-71  made  pro- 
visions for  putting  these  schools  into  operation. 

Xotwithstanding  the  neglect  of  the  State  of  Virginia  to 
earlier  maintain  public  schools,  free  to  all,  Tidewater  Vir- 
ginia has  nevertheless  the  credit  of  establishing  the  first  free 
school. 

There  was  an  order  of  the  London  Company  dated  Novem- 
ber 18,  1618,  for  the  planting  of  a  university  at  Henrico,  on 
James  River.  In  that  same  year  Eev.  Patrick  Copland,  chap- 
lain of  the  ship  Eoyal  James,  while  the  ship  was  at  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  raised  from  the  gentlemen  and  mariners  on  this 
ship  seventy  pounds,  eight  shillings,  and  six  pence  towards 
building  a  free  school  in  Virginia.  Other  subscriptions  were 
made  to  this  fund,  in  all  about  equal  to  $4,800. 

A  carpenter,  Leonard  Hudson,  and  five  apprentices  were 
sent  from  England  to  build  the  school  in  1621.  It  was 
located  in  Charles  City  County  at  a  place  now  known  as  City 
Point,  in  Prince  George  County.  There  were  donations  of 
land  for  its  support. 

In  1634,  Ben  Sym  devised  two  hundred  acres  of  land  on 
Pocosin  River,  in  York  County,  "  with  the  milk  and  increase 
of  eight  milch  cows,  for  the  maintenance  of  a  learned  honest 
man,  to  keep  upon  tin:  land  a  "free  school  for  the  education 
and  instruction  of  the  children  of  the  adjoining  parishes  of 
Elizabeth  City  and  Kicoutan  (now  Hampton),  from  St.  Mary 


244  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

Mount  downward  to  the  Pocosin  River."     In  1675,  Henry 
Peaseley  established  a  free  school  in  Gloucester  County. 

In  1691,  Sir  Francis  Nicholson  established  a  free  school  at 
Yorktown. 

In  1693,  the  William  and  Mary  College  was  erected  in 
Williamsburg.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  schools  for  the 
higher  education  in  Virginia. 

Before  the  present  free  school  system  was  adopted,  the 
State  provided  a  fund  for  the  education  of  the  indigent  chil- 
dren. Arrangement  was  made  in  each  county,  usually  with 
the  teachers  of  the  private  schools  therein,  for  this  tuition,  so 
that  in  nearly  every  instance,  the  "  pay  scholars,"  and  the 
"  poor  scholars  "  were  taught  together,  under  the  same  roof, 
and  by  the  same  teacher,  and  "  licked  with  the  same  switch." 

The  Virginian  from  the  earliest  days  of  settlement,  after  the 
first  five  years  of  "  joint  stock  "  arrangement,  was  so  forced 
to  depend  upon  his  own  resources  for  every  item  of  con- 
venience, comfort,  enlightenment,  or  amusement,  which  ha 
had  a  necessity,  or  desire  for,  that  he  looked  upon  the  plan  for 
the  education  of  his  children  to  be  paid  for  out  of  a  public 
fund,  as  degrading  dependence.  His  willingness  to  provide 
a  fund  for  others  to  be  educated  upon  that  plan  was  evidenced 
by  the  fact  that  such  a  fund  was  taxed  for  and  provided  from 
the  revenues  of  the  State,  but  he  who  was  able  to  provide 
otherwise  wanted  none  of  this.  In  fact,  the  position  of  the 
well  to  do  Virginian  was  such  that  he  had  everything  else 
under  his  own  individual  control,  from  the  raising  of  his 
food,  and  materials  for  his  clothing,  to  that  of  his  own  grist 
mill  to  grind  his  wheat  and  his  corn,  and  the  tan  yard  for  his 
leather,  even  to  the  loom  that  wove  his  garments.  All  he 
condescended  to  ask  for  outside  of  these  conveniences  were  a 
few  scraps  of  iron  to  fashion  the  tools  for  his  servants.  He 
owned  the  lands,  and  the  fanner  who  worked  them,  also  the 
tanner,  the  shoemaker,  the  weaver,  the  blacksmith,  the  mason, 


LANDS   AND   PRODUCTS 


245 


the  carpenter,  the  painter,  the  wood  chopper,  the  sawyer,  the 
fisherman,  the  oysterman,  the  hunter,  and  a  few  more  ser- 
vants whose  sole  duty  was  to  "  kepp  de  flies  off  Massa  while 
he  dozed,  an'  fin'  Missus  specks  fo'  huh,"  as  evidenced  by  the 
following  colloquy,  which  took  place  when  two  young  negroes 
sought  service  a^ay  from  their  former  master  and  mistress 
immediately  after  the  Civil  War.  The  lady  to  whom  they 
applied  for  work  asked :     "  Can  you  cook  ?" 

"  No'm,  we  ain't  nevah  been  cook  none ;  Polly  cooked." 

"  Can  you  wash  ?"  said  the  lady. 

"No'm  we  aint  ben  wash  none  neither,  Aunt  Sally  she 
wash !" 

"  Can  you  clean  house  then  ?"  was  asked. 

"  No'm,  least  we  nevah  been  cleanin'  none." 

The  lady  asked  question  after  question  with  like  negative 
results ;  finally  she  asked : 

"  What  have  you  been  accustomed  to  do  ?" 

"  Sukey,  heah,  she  keep  flies  off  Marster,  an'  I  hunt  fo'  ol' 
Missus  specks." 

Under  such  conditions,  the  Tidewater  Virginian  did  not 
care  whether  school  kept  or  not.  He  was  a  veritable  Eobin- 
eon  Crusoe  in  bo  far  that  he  was  "monarch  of  all  he  sur- 
veyed." 

VI.    Tidewater  Fisheries. 

Nearly  all  the  waters  of  Virginia,  salt  and  fresh,  are  more 
or  less  inhabited  by  fish,  but  the  great  "schools"  of  fish, 
which  sometimes  are  found  assembled  together  in  millions, 
are  found  in  salt  waters,  or  if  found  in  fresh  waters  are  there 
only  to  deposit  their  eggs.  If  not  interrupted,  many  of  them 
find  their  way  to  the  very  falls  of  a  stream,  where  the  rough 
ami  difficult  ascent  forbids  their  further  journey.  They  were 
so  plentiful  in  the  days  when  Capt.  John  Smith  made  his 
voya.Lr<'  of  discovery  up  the  Potomac  to  "the  falls,"  that  his 
crew  dipped  them  from  the  river  in  frying  pans. 


246  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Since  the  Civil  War,  the  fishes  of  the  sea  have  had  to  con- 
tend also  with  new  industrial  methods  as  did  the  oyster  and 
so  scarce  have  they  become  in  the  vicinity  in  which  Smith's 
crew  so  readily  dipped  them  up  with  frying  pans  that  one 
who  now  should  depend  upon  such  method  of  obtaining  a 
supply  of  fish  would  starve  to  death  in  the  attempt. 

There  are  now  hundreds  of  men  mounted  upon  the  masts 
of  steam  and  sail  vessels,  sailing  along  the  Atlantic  Coast, 
and  within  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  all  of  whom  have  sharp 
focused  spy  glasses  to  their  eyes,  on  the  "  look  out "  for  the 
finny  visitors,  which  float  in  such  compact  "  schools  "  that  the 
weight  of  a  single  "  school "  would  burst  through  a  seine 
such  as  would  tax  the  efforts  of  a  strong  man  to  break  a  single 
strand  of.  Such  "  schools "  are  not  allowed  to  play  the 
truant,  and  gambol  very  far  when  once  they  are  sighted. 
They  seldom  have  the  chance  to  reach  the  falls  of  any  river 
before  they  are  captured. 

To  prevent  entire  extermination  of  this  food  commodity 
the  United  States  maintains  places  where  fishes  of  several 
varieties  are  artificially  hatched  and  delivered  into  the  waters 
for  their  supply. 

If  the  fishes  of  the  sea,  which  require  fresh  waters  wherein 
to  deposit  their  spawn,  are  deprved  of  this  privilege  their  race 
must  become  extinct.  Wisdom  upon  the  part  of  man  should 
permit  of  this  privilege  to  such  an  extent  as  to  prevent  this 
calamity. 

Before  the  Civil  War  there  were  large  "shore  fisheries" 
upon  the  great  rivers  to  supply  the  markets  of  cities  with 
edible  fish.  Shad  and  herring  in  the  season  were  abundant 
in  all  the  waters,  as  there  were  then  few  fishermen  in  com- 
parison with  the  present  clay,  and  fewer  steamers  traveling 
those  waters  to  frighten  the  fish.  With  the  exception  of  a 
seine  full  now  and  then,  seldom  were  the  fish  used  as  fertilizer 
upon  the  lands,  and  those  so  used  were  cast  upon  the  lands  in 
their  raw  state,  and  plowed  under. 


LANDS   AND    PRODUCTS  2-17 

A  "drag  seine"  was  commonly  in  use  for  herring  and 
shad.  The  seine  was  spread  out  to  cover  as  much  space  as 
possible  and  then  dragged  ashore.  Some  of  the  larger  shore 
fisheries  employed  horse  power  to  "  wind  "  the  seine  ashore. 
The  Chesapeake  Bay  begins  at  the  Capes, — Charles  and 
Henry — with  a  mouth  twelve  miles  wide,  through  which  the 
great  Atlantic  Ocean  forces  its  clear  waters,  without  noise  or 
struggle,  during  each  flood  tide.  This  usually  quiet,  calm 
entrance  is  inviting  to  the  fishes  of  the  sea,  and  they  pour 
through  it  like  school  children  on  a  picnic  ground,  whole 
"  schools  "  at  a  time.  Here  in  all  directions,  when  once  in- 
side, they  find  inviting  streams  in  quiet  nooks,  to  shed  their 
spawn,  to  gambol,  feed,  and  nibble  at  a  hook,  or  share  the  fate 
of  their  kind,  by  being  "  gilled  "  or  led  into  a  "  pound,"  or 
surrounded  by  a  "  seine  "  on  some  unsuspecting  fishing  shore, 
or  "  pursed  "  in  a  net  by  some  roving  fishing  boat's  crew.  The 
many  methods  of  capturing  fish  are  too  numerous  to  mention 
here,  but  the  most  extensive  ways  of  fishing  are  by  means  of 
stationary  nets,  floating  seines,  and  purse  nets.  Stationary 
nets  are  fixed  by  driving  poles  in  the  bottom  of  a  stream, 
usually  in  the  form  of  a  square  pen,  known  as  a  "  pound,"  to 
which  a  net  is  placed  all  around  and  on  the  bottom,  and 
fastened  by  means  of  rings  attached  to  the  poles.  An  open, 
wide,  converging  mouth  of  net  leads  into  the  center  of  the 
pen  to  a  "  false  pound,"  and  thence  into  the  "  main  pound," 
where  it  narrows  to  a  confusing  point  for  the  fish,  when  once 
they  get  inside  it.  There  are  "  wings  "  attached  to  each  end 
of  the  pound.  The  wings  are  formed  by  driving  poles  in  the 
bottom  of  the  stream,  in  a  long,  straight  row  from  the  line  of 
the  pound,  and  covered  with  netting,  to  obstruct  the  passage 
of  the  fish,  and  Lead  (hem  along  to  the  mouth  of  the  pound  as 
they  endeavor  to  find  a  |  -way  up  the  stream.     The  nets 

are  usually  fished  each  'lav.  by  men  who  attend  in  small  boats, 
<u-  c; i  -.  ami  liau!  up  the  nets  from  the  bottom,  so  that  the 

h  are  within  reach  of  I!  rman's  scoop-net,  and  thus 


248  LIFE   IN"   OLD  VIRGINIA 

they  are  "scooped  in,"  regardless  of  their  struggles  to  free 
themselves  from  the  wily  fishermen. 

There  are  also  floating  nets,  known  as  "  gill  nets,"  which 
are  set  in  a  stream  and  kept  afloat  by  corks.  The  fish  in  their 
migrations  through  the  waters,  "  strike  "  these  nets,  and  when 
once  they  run  their  heads  through  the  "  meshes  "  of  the  net, 
and  extend  their  gills,  they  become  fastened  by  the  twine  of 
the  mesh  passing  under,  or  behind  the  gill. 

The  greater  fisheries  are  carried  on  by  "  seine  fishing  "  on 
shores,  and  by  "  purse  net  fishing  "  from  vessels.  A  "  fishing 
shore  "  is  usually  selected  because  of  some  natural  advantage, 
either  from  the  nature  of  the  river  bottom  or  of  some  con- 
figuration of  the  shore  limits  which  would  induce  the  fish  to 
"  school "  at  that  point.  The  seine  is  carried  out  in  boats 
and  spread  as  far  as  possible  and  then  gradually  hauled  in  to 
the  shore,  the  fishermen  wading  out  to  aid  in  "holding  it 
down  "  until  the  ends  are  brought  to  land,  where  the  whole 
seine  is  emptied  on  the  shore.  This  fishing  is  usually  during 
the  spawning  season,  for  shad  and  herring.  In  fact  the  best 
fishing  season  for  all  species  of  fish  is  during  the  spawning. 

"  Purse  net "  fishing  is  conducted  on  a  more  extensive  and 
costly  plan  than  "shore  fishing,"  and  in  connection  with  a 
factory  on  the  land,  to  boil  the  fish,  and  extract  the  oil  there- 
from, and  to  prepare  the  "  scrap  " — the  bodies  of  the  fish,  for 
fertilizer  for  agricultural  purposes.  In  some  instances,  the 
cooking  of  the  fish  is  done  on  steamers  which  follow  the 
vessels.  This  industry  is  particularly  a  source  of  great 
wealth  to  those  engaged  in  it.  The  fish  caught  for  this  pur- 
pose are  known  as  "  ale  wives,"  a  species  not  commonly  used 
as  human  food,  though  related  to  both  herring  and  shad,  and 
resembling  the  latter  in  form  and  color.  It  is  said  they  are 
mainly  the  prey  for  other  fishes.  "  Big  fish  eat  little  fish,  and 
little  fish  eat  lesser  ones."  The  ale  wives — sometimes  called 
menhaden — are  very  prolific,  shedding  between  sixty  thousand 
to  one  hundred  thousand  eggs  during  a  season. 


LANDS   AND   PRODUCTS  249 

Ale  wive  fishing  is  one  of  the  industries  introduced  into 
Tidewater  Virginia  since  the  Civil  War.     There  are  about 
fourteen  steamers   in  one   small   river  alone — Great  "Wico- 
mico— Xorthumberland   County — engaged   in   this   industry. 
The  average  tonnage  of  the  vessels  engaged  is  about  one  hun- 
dred tons  each.     The  purse  nets  are  from  one  hundred  and 
eighty  to  two  hundred  fathoms— 10S0  feet  to  1200  feet— in 
length.   The  "  purse  nets  "  are  used  to  surround  the  "  schools  " 
of  fish.     This  is  done  by  dividing  the  net  equally  between  two 
row  boats  (purse  boats)  which  are  carried  for  that  purpose, 
and  when  the  fish  are   sighted  by  the  "lookout,"  who  is 
stationed  aloft  with  a  spy-glass,  each  boat  is  then  manned 
with  its  crew,  who  row  the  boats  parallel  to  each  other  until 
within  "  striking  "  distance  of  the  "  school,"  then  they  sepa- 
rate and  row  in  a  circle  to  meet  each  other  and  surround  the 
fish,  each  boat  " paying  out"  their  part  of  the  net  as  they 
advance  until  they  complete  the  circle,  after  which  the  ends 
of  the  net  are  fastened  together,  and  a  "  Tom  " — a  ball  of 
weighty  lead — is  thrown  overboard  to  form  a  fulcrum  with 
which  to  "  purse  "  the  net  at  its  bottom.     This  is  done  by 
means  of  a  line  attached  to  a  ring  in  the  "  Tom,"  and  by  aid 
of  other  ropes  passed  through  rings  attached  to  the  net  on 
bottom  and  sides.     Through  this  means,  the  bottom  of  the 
net,   as   well   as   the   ends,    are   brought   closely   together — 
"  pursed  " — to  form  a  solid  bag,  enclosing  the  fish. 

An  important  helper  in  this  fishing,  is  the  man  known  as 
the  "  striker  "  or  "  driver."  When  a  school  of  fish  is  sighted, 
the  "striker"  goes  off  in  his  own  life  boat,  and  by  rowing 
around  the  "  school,"  he  keeps  them  huddled  until  the  "  net 
a  "  can  encircle  them.  During  heavy  seas,  when  the  not 
boats  are  tossed  up  and  down  upon  tin'  waves,  and  lose  sight 
of  the  "schools,"  the  "striker"  holds  aloft  his  oar  as  a  guide 
to  direct  them  towards  the  fish. 

It  is  said  that  the  oil  from  the  "  ale  wive  "  has  a  market 


250  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

value  as  whale  oil,  olive  oil,  neats  foot  oil,  and  cod  liver  oil, 
and  is  found  enclosed  in  diminutive  bottles,  with  suggestive 
labels,  which  proclaim  its  "  sure  cure  "  for  many  ills  which 
annoy  mankind. 

The  average  catch  at  one  haul  is  said  to  be  between  300,000 
and  400,000  fish.  The  average  catch  for  one  steamer  in  a 
season's  fishing  is  from  eight  million  to  ten  million,  and  the 
best  about  fifteen  million  fish.  The  fish  yield  an  average  of 
five  or  six  gallons  of  oil  to  the  thousand.  The  best  average 
is  from  twelve  to  fourteen  gallons  to  the  thousand  fish.  It 
takes  an  average  of  about  1300  fish  to  make  a  ton  of  "  dry 
scrap  "  fertilizer.  This  is  the  fisherman's  luck  in  Tidewater 
Virginia.  The  ale  wive  fishery  is  conducted  on  the  shores  of 
the  Atlantic  Ocean  as  well  as  in  the  inland  waters  of  Virginia. 

The  methods  of  fishing  by  the  Indians  differed  but  little 
from  those  of  the  whites  of  the  present  day. 

Capt.  John  Smith  relates :  "  Their  fishing  is  much  in 
Boats.  These  they  make  of  one  tree  by  burning  and  scratch- 
ing away  the  coales  with  stones  and  shels,  till  they  have  made 
it  on  the  form  of  a  Trough.  Some  of  them  are  an  elne  (ell) 
deep,  and  fortie  or  fiftie  foote  in  length,  and  some  will  beare 
40  men,  but  the  most  ordinary  are  smaller,  and  will  bear  10, 
20,  or  30,  according  to  their  bignesse.  Instead  of  Oares  they 
use  Paddles  and  stickes,  with  which  they  will  row  faster  than 
our  Barges. 

"  Betwixt  their  hands  and  thighes,  their  women  use  to  spin, 
the  barkes  of  trees,  Deere  sinewes,  or  a  kinde  of  grasse  they 
call  Pemmenaw,  of  these  they  make  a  thread  very  even  and 
readily.  This  thread  serveth  for  many  uses.  As  about  their 
housing,  apparell,  as  also  they  make  nets  for  fishing.  They 
make  also  with  it  lines  for  angles.  Their  hookes  are  either 
bone  grated  as  they  noch  their  arrowes  in  the  forme  of  a 
crooked  pinne  or  fish  hooke,  or  of  the  splinter  of  a  bone  tyed 
to  the  clif  t  of  a  little  sticke,  and  with  the  end  of  the  line  they 


I 


LANDS    AXD   PRODUCTS  251 

tie  on  the  bate.  They  use  also  long  arrowes  tyed  to  a  line, 
wherewith  they  shoote  at  fish  in  the  rivers.  But  they  of 
Accawniake  use  staves  like  unto  javelins  headed  with  bone." 

VII.    Oysters. 

Oysters  form  a  staple  product  of  the  salt  waters  of  Tide- 
water Virginia.  They  will  not  live  in  continuously  fresh 
waters,  and  in  extremely  salt  waters,  they  are  usually  poor. 

In  many  of  the  extremely  salt  water  streams  upon  the 
Eastern  Shore  peninsula  of  Virginia,  the  oystermen  provide 
"  boxes  "  or  bins,  upon  the  shores  for  "  drinking  "  the  oysters 
before  shipment  to  market.  For  this  purpose,  the  oysters  are 
placed  in  these  boxes  and  fresh  waters  from  wells  or  cisterns 
are  mingled  with  the  salt  waters  therein.  By  this  treatment, 
the  oysters  soon  become  plump  and  solid  as  they  would  if 
grown  in  medium  salt  waters,  where  they  attain  their  greatest 
perfection. 

The  oyster  bearing  territory  of  Virginia,  and  lower  Mary- 
land, including  lower  Chesapeake  Bay,  is  the  best  in  the 
United  States  for  growing  finely  flavored,  healthy  oysters, 
free  from  contamination  of  sewerage,  and  within  reach  of 
enough  pure,  fresh  waters  to  create  good  growth.  From 
Alexandria,  Virginia,  down  the  full  length  of  the  Potomac 
River,  to  its  mouth  at  Smith's  point,  and  thence  continued 
n  the  broad  Chesapeake  Bay  to  Norfolk,  Virginia,  a  total 
distance  of  about  two  hundred  miles,  there  is  not  a  single  city 
or  town  within  the  whole  length  of  territory,  and  therefore  no 
sewerage  to  contaminate  these  pure,  clean  waters. 

-  are  very  prolific  and  it  is  estimated  by  authority 

that  a  good  sized  oyster  will  produce  several  millions  of  spawn- 

-  during  the  season.     A  \c\-y  large  percentage  of  spawn 

fails  to  mature  1  of  absence  of  proper  fertilization,  or 

before  it  "catches"  in  a  suitable  place.     If  the  locality 

in  which  the  spawn  settles  is  suitable,  then  in  about  four  or 


252  LIFE  IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

five  years'  growth  from  the  time  of  "  catch  "  they  will  mature 
to  oysters  fit  for  market. 

Shifting,  sandy  bottoms,  or  very  soft,  oozy  bottoms,  are  not 
suited  to  the  "  catch  "  of  spawn,  or  the  growth  of  the  oyster. 
Spawn  requires  a  clean,  hard,  stationary  substance  to  adhere 
to.  To  aid  in  "  catching  spawn,"  fresh  oyster  shells  are  scat- 
tered over  the  oyster  grounds  during  the  spawning  season, 
which  usually  begins  in  this  section  about  the  first,  to  the 
middle  of  April,  and  ends  about  September.  Spawn  cannot 
catch  upon  shells  or  other  substances  which  have  become 
coated  with  slime.  As  many  as  five  to  ten  spawn  may  settle 
upon,  and  mature  upon  one  empty  shell. 

There  are  about  1,488,000  acres  of  water  surface  in  the 
State  of  Virginia,  or  within  its  control,  including  that  part  of 
Chesapeake  Bay  from  Cape  Charles  and  Henry  to  Smith's 
Point,  at  the  mouth  of  Potomac  Eiver,  and  thence  across  said 
bay  to  Pocomoke  Eiver,  the  boundary  of  Accomac  County  on 
the  water's  side. 

The  far  greater  part  of  Virginia's  water  surface  is  situated 
in  the  tidewater  section,  and  the  larger  part  of  these  tide- 
waters were  oyster  bearing  territory  when  Virginia  was  first 
settled.  The  rapid  depleting  of  these  immense  oyster  beds 
did  not  begin  until  after  the  Civil  War,  when  the  canning  of 
oysters  was  first  introduced.  Prior  to  that  period  nearly  all 
the  streams  in  that  section  through  which  the  salt  waters 
ebbed  and  flowed,  were  most  bountifully  supplied  with  this 
article  of  food,  and  in  the  lowermost  peninsulas  clams  were 
also  abundant.  The  waters  then  were  open  to  the  public, 
excepting  coves  within  the  survey  of  private  lands. 

Since  the  Civil  War,  the  State  maintains  a  supervision  over 
the  oyster  territory  by  means  of  a  "  Board  of  Survey,"  and  by 
"  Inspectors,"  who  issue  licenses  upon  payment  of  certain  fees 
for  "catching"  by  tongs,  dredges  or  otherwise;  they  also 
allot  bottoms  to  private  individuals,  upon  certain  conditions, 


LAXDS   AXD   PRODUCTS  253 

to  plant  upon,  for  which  an  annual  rental  per  acre  is 
exacted  by  the  State. 

Other  portions  of  the  oyster  bearing  bottoms,  known  as 
"  Xatural  Oyster  Rock"  are  open  to  the  public  under  certain 
restrictions  of  law  to  catch  oysters  from,  but  not  for  planting 
purposes. 

A  natural  oyster  rock  is  seldom  a  rock.  It  is  but  a  term 
applied  to  places  where  oysters  are  found  in  abundance,  or 
in  clusters  which  were  produced  from  the  spawn  settling 
thereon,  and  growing  naturally,  without  being  transplanted. 
No  part  of  the  Potomac  River  is  subject  to  individual  allot- 
ment by  either  of  the  two  States,  Virginia  and  Maryland. 
Though  Maryland  claims  the  waters  of  this  river  to  low  water 
mark  upon  the  Virginia  shores,  nevertheless  they  are  open  to 
the  inhabitants  of  both  States  for  oystering  only,  and  not  for 
individual  planting  bottoms,  subject  also  to  certain  conditions 
made  by  each  State  separately  for  their  respective  inhabitants. 

Dredging,  and  tonging  are  carried  on  in  these  waters 
during  certain  specified  months  of  the  year.  Wherever  a  bed 
of  oysters  is  found,  the  dredge  boats  flock  to,  and  usually 
scrape  its  bottom  free  of  all  marketable  stock  before  quitting 
its  territory.  It  is  asserted  by  some  authorities  that  dredging 
the  oyster  bottoms  has  a  beneficial  effect  through  scattering 
them  over  a  wider  area,  and  by  others  it  is  asserted  that  the 
destruction  of  young  oysters  by  the  dredge  is  very  great. 

As  the  Potomac  River  and  Chesapeake  Bay  are  the  main 
spawning  grounds  for  all  their  tributaries  within  both  States, 
Maryland  and  Virginia,  the  importance  of  keeping  these 
waters  well  stocked  with  adult  oysters  should  claim  the  atten- 
tion of  the  planters  who  are  engaged  in  this  industry.  It 
would  add  to  the  im  the  oysters,  if,  by  agreement  by 

both  States,  certain  defined,  limited  territory  of  the  Potomac 
River  and  the  Chesapeake  Bay  were  closed  to  dredging  during 
alternate 


254  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

The  increased  shipments  of  this  product  from  Virginia 
during  recent  years  have  largely  diminished  the  supply.     . 

Before  the  recent  enactment  of  laws  prescribing  the  size  of 
oysters  to  be  taken  from  the  waters,  they  were  shipped  with- 
out "  culling/'  both  for  planting  purposes  in  other  States,  and 
for  consumption  in  the  cities.  They  were  culled  only  after 
reaching  the  cities,  and  those  too  small  for  human  consump- 
tion were  dumped  upon  the  shell  piles  to  die,  and  became  waste 
instead  of  being  returned  to  their  natural  beds. 

There  has  been  a  woful  waste  in  all  of  nature's  products  in 
America  since  its  first  settlement,  and  Virginia  has  given  its 
share  to  form  this  waste.  The  wild  fowl  were  so  plentiful  in 
that  section  in  comparatively  recent  years,  that  they  were 
readily  captured  by  hundreds  at  a  time  in  single  pens,  sur- 
rounded by  nets,  to  which  they  were  decoyed  by  strewing  corn 
over  the  bottoms  of  the  waters  leading  thereto,  or  were  killed 
by  dozens  at  a  single  shot,  with  big  bow  guns  while  in  flocks 
upon  the  feeding  grounds.  This  great  abundance  was  then 
disposed  of  with  little  profit  to  the  oysterman  or  hunter. 

The  oyster  feeds  during  flood  tide  only.  This  is  demon- 
strated by  catching  oysters  upon  the  teeth  of  the  oyster  tongs 
while  their  shells  are  open  during  flood  tide,  and  not  during 
ebb  tide,  except  when  the  oyster  is  weak  and  not  able  to  close 
its  shell. 

It  is  asserted  that  they  throw  off  their  spawn  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  flood  tide.  This  inflow  of  the  tide  forces 
the  spawn  up  stream  from  the  spawning  bed.  If  this  asser- 
tion be  correct,  it  would  be  useful  for  planters  to  place  their 
breeding  oysters  at  the  mouths  of  the  streams  so  as  to  meet 
the  incoming  tide,  which  would  in  the  event  carry  and  dis- 
tribute the  spawn  throughout  their  entire  waters. 

There  are  enemies  of  the  oyster  besides  man,  the  most  de- 
structive of  which  is  the  "  Starfish,"  which  an  authority  de- 
scribes as  being  able  to  surround  the  young  oyster  and  by 


lands  and  products 


255 


gradually  breaking  its  tender  shell  at  the  mouth,  to  insert  its 
stomach  and  absorb  the  oyster. 

There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  upon  this  subject.  An  old 
oysterman  tells  how  the  starfish  kills  the  oyster : 

"Crawlin'  'round  the  bottom  of  the  river  the  star  acci- 
dentally gets  afoul  of  a  bed  of  oysters.  He  don't  know  at  first 
mebbe  what  they  are.  Fokin'  'round  'mongst  'em  he  acci- 
dentally, as  it  were,  gets  the  end  of  one  of  his  arms  into  an 
open  shell  an'  the  oyster,  of  course,  shets  down  on  him  like  a 
thousan'  o'  bricks.  Now  sir,  the  star  can't  get  away  even  if 
he's  sorry  that  he  got  in  a  hole,  but  the  oyster  can't  live  but  a 
little  while  with  its  shell  open,  an'  after  a  few  hours  he's  dead. 
Then  he  lets  up  an'  the  star  who's  bin  waitin'  all  this  time  for 
his  lunch  makes  a  meal  offen  him  right  there,  takes  him  on 
the  half  shell  in  his  own  gravy  as  it  were." 

The  bottoms  of  Virginia  waters  are  not  conducive  to  the 
growth  of  the  starfish,  and  it  is  therefore  not  a  great  pest 
there.  Oysters  are  "caught"  from  the  waters  by  dredges, 
scrapers,  tongs,  and  nippers.  Sail  boats  use  dredges,  or 
scrapers.  Men  in  small  boats,  such  as  canoes,  or  skiffs  use 
tongs,  or  nippers.  Dredges  and  scrapers  are  permitted  only 
in  the  Chesapeake  Bay  and  Potomac  fiiver.  Tongs  are  used 
where  oysters  are  comparatively  plentiful,  and  nippers  only 
where  they  Ho  singly  and  far  apart  from  each  other.  The  tongs 
have  a  capacity  of  a  peck  or  more.  But  one  03-stcr  can  be 
taken  at  a  time  with  nippers.  Nippered  oysters  are  generallv 
of  a  superior  grade,  large  and  fat,  and  can  be  caught  only  in 
r,  calm,  and  shallow  waters  where  the  oysterman  can  see 
the  bottom  as  he  shoves  his  boat  along  the  waters  in  search. 

There  are  many  classes  of  boats  engaged  in  the  oyster  in- 
try   in   Virginia,   amongst  which   are   schooners,   sloops, 
pungeys,    I  .  (jacks,    flattys,   brogans,    and    canoes. 

The  first  two  named  Is  arc  common  to  all  the  navigable 

streams  of  thifl  country.     The  last  six  are  generallv  local  to 
the  oyster  and  fishing         ins.    They  are  distinguished  by  the 


256  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

shape  and  construction  of  their  hulls,  or  the  cut  of  their  sails. 
The  schooner  and  sloop  have  "waists/'  the  last  six  named 
have  "  logs/'  or  "  washboards."  The  bugeye  is  a  flat  bottom, 
center-board  schooner  of  three  to  fifteen  tons,  built  of  heavy 
timber  without  a  frame,  but  decked  over  without  a  waist. 
The  "  waist "  consists  of  a  boarded  railing  extending  over  the 
outward  edge  of  the  deck.  A  "log"  is  a  square  beam  of 
wood  but  a  few  inches  in  height  and  width,  and  like  the  waist 
extends  around  the  whole  deck.  A  "  washboard "  forms  a 
deck  but  a  few  inches  wide  around  the  upper  edges  of  the 
boat.  It  is  supported  to  the  sides  by  suitable  small  knees 
underneath. 

Surely  if  Uncle  Sam  has  urgent  need  for  good  sailors,  he 
should  send  his  naval  recruiting  officers  to  Tidewater  Vir- 
ginia. A  large  number  of  the  people  inhabiting  the  tide- 
water counties,  from  earliest  youth  to  old  age,  have  had  ex- 
perience with  boats  of  all  sizes  and  shapes,  from  the  "  dug- 
out "  to  the  "  coasting  schooner  "  while  engaged  in  oystering, 
fishing,  or  freighting.  Dredging  oysters  in  a  fleet  of  sail 
boats  on  a  "  natural  oyster  rock  "  is  a  good  school  for  teach- 
ing one  how  to  maneuver  a  vessel  in  a  close  place. 

VIII.     Food  Products  of  Tidewater  Virginia. 

No  section  of  the  United  States  of  similar  extent  produces 
a  greater  variety  of  food  for  human  consumption  than  can  be 
found  in  Tidewater  Virginia.  Excepting  the  citric  fruits,  all 
the  several  classes  of  fruits,  and  vegetables  which  are  grown 
in  any  other  part  of  North  America,  can  be,  and  are  grown  in 
some  part  or  other  of  this  territory.  The  soil  is  light,  and  can 
be  cultivated  with  one  horse  power,  except  upon  the  clay  bottom 
lands,  adjacent  to  the  rivers.  The  winters  are  mild,  and 
usually  short,  and  the  warmth  of  the  Gulf  Stream  is  mani- 
fested in  the  early  spring  vegetation  there. 

Some  of  the  "  truck  farms  "  almost  within  sight  of  James- 


LAXDS   AAD   PRODUCTS  257 

town,  ship  annually-  each  thousands  of  barrels  of  early  pota- 
toes— sweet  and  Irish — and  other  vegetables  to  the  Eastern 
and  Western  markets,  thereby  supplying  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  the  inhabitants  of  the  United  States  with  abundance 
of  food  from  the  same  lands  where  the  early  colonists,  though 
but  few  in  number,  starved  to  death  from  need  of  such 
products. 

The  Virginia  sweet  potatoes  are  famous  for  their  good 
flavor.  These  "  sweets  "  are  always  selected  by  the  negro  to 
dish  with  his  fattened  "  possum  and  gravy."  The  reader  who 
objects  to  an  excessive  accumulation  of  saliva  about  his  lips, 
must  refrain  from  witnessing  a  Tidewater  Virginia  negro 
"  soppin'  sweet  'tater  in  possum  gravy." 

In  parts  of  this  section,  there  is  grown  a  cantaloupe  which 
competes  successfully  with  the  "Eockyford"  cantaloupe  of 
Colorado.  The  Eastern  shore  of  Virginia,  and  the  Norfolk 
Peninsula  are  justly  famous  for  "  truck  farming."  There 
are  several  hundreds  of  acres  in  Lancaster  County  cultivated 
by  the  noted  "Landreth  firm"  of  seed  growers,  which  pro- 
duce abundantly  the  several  varieties  of  garden  seeds  to 
supply  their  trade  throughout  the  country. 

If  all  the  lands  of  Tidewater  Virginia  were  devoted  to  fruit 
and  "  truck  farming,"  to  which  they  are  best  adapted,  enough 
could  be  raised  there  to  feed  the  nation.  Speedy  transporta- 
tion, connecting  the  whole  section  with  the  outside  markets, 
is  in  urgent  need.  As  it  is  now,  about  one-half  of  the  lands 
are  "  turned  out "  to  woods,  or  in  "  old  fields." 

Tidewater  Virginia  is  famous  for  fried  chicken.  The  old 
black  mammies  of  Virginia  can  prepare  fried  chicken  to  "  the 
Queen's  taste." 

Tho3.  Hariot,  one  of  the  gentleman  colonists  to  go  to 
Eoanoke  Island,  wrote : 

"  Pagatown,  a  kind  of  graine  so  called  by  the  inhabitants; 
the  same  in  the  West  Indies  is  called  Mayze;  Englishmen  call 
it  Guincy  wheate  or  Turkic  wheate." 
17  * 


258  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

""Wee  made  of  the  same  in  the  countrey  some  mault 
whereof  was  brued  as  good  ale  as  was  to  be  desired." 

Corn  meal  is  a  very  essential  food  product  in  Virginia,  and 
when  ground  in  a  country  water  power  grist  mill,  it  is  far 
superior  to  the  meal  ground  by  the  heavy  and  rapid  power 
steam  mill.  The  latter  mill  grinds  the  meal  too  fine,  and  so 
rapidly  as  to  heat  it  unduly,  and  thereby  make  it  stiff  and 
doughy. 

From  corn  meal  are  made  many  delicious  breads,  such  aa 
corn  pone,  egg  bread,  cracklin  bread,  ash  cake,  Johnny 
(Journey)  cake,  and  hoe  cake. 

Corn  pone  consists  of  corn  meal  with  water  sufficient  to 
moisten,  and  salt  sufficient  to  season  it.  Egg  bread,  or  as  it 
is  sometimes  called,  batter  bread,  consists  of  corn  meal,  eggs, 
sweet  and  sour  milk,  soda  and  salt.  Cracklin  bread  was  com- 
posed of  corn  meal  and  cracklins,  mixed  with  salt  and  water, 
and  rolled  in  an  oval  shaped  cake.  "  Cracklins  "  are  the  parts 
left  from  the  boilings  of  meat  scraps  while  making  lard,  and 
when  separated  from  the  lard  by  straining  in  a  colander  are 
dry  and  crisp. 

These  several  breads  were  baked  in  a  "Bread  Oven,"  a 
thick  cast  iron,  circular  vessel,  with  straight,  upright  sides, 
upon  which  were  two  loop  handles  attached,  to  which  pot 
hooks  were  inserted  when  lifted  or  carried.  It  sat  upon 
three  legs,  and  was  covered  with  a  heavy  cast  iron  lid,  upon 
top  of  which  was  also  a  loop  handle  to  insert  an  iron  "  lifter." 
For  purposes  of  cooking,  live  coals  of  wood,  and  hot  ashes 
were  placed  beneath  the  oven  and  upon  the  lid,  thus  enabling 
the  contents  to  be  cooked  top,  and  bottom,  at  one  and  the 
same  time.  All  implements  for  cookery  in  the  old  fashioned 
fire  places  had  three  legs,  to  lift  them  above  the  ashes  and 
coals. 

Ash  cake  is  made  with  corn  meal,  salt  and  water,  and  rolled 
in  a  ball,  covered  with  cabbage  leaves  and  placed  in  hot  ashes 
and  small  live  coals  to  bake. 


LANDS   AND   PRODUCTS  259 

Johnny  (Journey)  cake,  and  hoe  cake  were  of  the  same 
composition  as  the  ash  cake.  The  Johnny  cake  was  placed 
upon  an  oak  board  and  set  up  against  live  coals,  and  hard 
baked,  for  "keeping  on  a  journey,''  when  taverns  were  few 
and  far  between. 

The  hoe  cake  was  placed  upon  the  blade  of  the  cornfield,  or 
tobacco  hilling  hoe,  with  the  shank  of  the  hoe  down,  and  set 
before  the  live  coals.  This  was  the  negro  bachelor's  usual 
mode  of  cooking  bread. 

All  breads  were  mixed  in  homemade  wooden  bread  trays, 
which  were  gouged  out  of  blocks  of  gum,  or  poplar  woods. 

Maize  or  Indian  corn  is  indigenous  to  America,  and  is  com- 
paratively but  little  used  in  Europe  even  at  this  date. 

The  colonists  got  their  first  taste  of  Indian  corn  bread  at 
the  Indian  village  of  Kecoughtan — now  Hampton — on  April 
30,  1607,  "  where  they  were  regaled  by  the  Indians  with  corn 
bread,  tobacco  and  a  dance." 

Captain  Smith  described  the  Indian  mode  of  cooking  corn 
bread  as  follows: 

"  Their  corne  they  rost  in  the  eare  green,  and  bruising  it  in 
a  mortar  of  wood  with  a  Polt,  lappe  it  in  rowles  in  leaves  of 
their  corne,  and  so  boyle  it  for  a  daintie.  They  also  reserve 
that  corne  late  planted  that  will  not  ripe,  by  rosting  it  in  hot 
ashes.  Their  old  corne  they  first  steep  a  night  in  hot  water, 
in  the  morning  pounding  it  in  a  mortar.  They  use  a  small 
basket  for  their  temmes,  then  pound  again  the  great  and  so 
separating  by  dashing  their  hand  in  the  basket,  recause  the 
flower  in  a  platter  made  of  wood  scraped  to  that  forme  with 
burning  and  shells.  Tempering  this  flower  with  water,  they 
make  it  either  in  cakes  covering  them  with  ashes  till  they  bee 
baked,  and  then  washing  them  in  faire  water  they  drie  pres- 
ently with  their  own  heat;  or  else  boyle  them  in  water  eating 
their  broth  with  the  bread  which  they  call  Ponap." 

Hog  and  hominy  are  associate  dishes  of  food  in  Tidewater 
Virginia  during  the  late  fall  and  winter   months.     While 


260  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

fresh  meats  were  abundant,  it  was  usually  a  rainy  day  job  to 
"beat  hominy."  The  beating  was  done  in  a  "hominy  mor- 
tar/' a  gum  log  about  three  and  a  half  feet  in  height,  the  top 
of  which  was  dug  out  with  an  adze,  and  the  inside  surface 
then  slightly  charred  with  fire,  and  afterwards  cleanly  and 
smoothly  scraped.  Hard,  flinty  grains  of  corn  were  selected, 
and  when  they  were  placed  within  the  mortar,  a  small  quantity 
of  boiling  water  was  poured  over  them,  and  the  mortar  cov- 
ered with  a  cloth  for  a  short  period  to  permit  of  the  corn 
being  steamed,  and  thereby  softening  and  loosening  the  husk 
of  the  grain  which  soon  thereafter  sheds  during  the  beating. 

The  beating  of  hominy  was  done  by  pounding  down  upon 
the  mass  of  corn  with  a  wooden  pestle  of  well  seasoned  gum 
wood.  After  beating  sufficiently,  the  hominy  was  placed  in  a 
wooden  tray  and  thrown  up  in  the  air,  the  falling  motion  of 
the  grain  back  into  the  tray  blew  the  "  hulls  "  out  and  thus 
separated  the  two. 

Hominy  prepared  in  this  manner  is  a  delicious  food,  far 
superior  to  that  ground  in  a  mill.  The  grains  come  out  of 
the  operation  nearly  whole,  and  cleansed  of  all  their  hulls. 

The  hog  is  not  indigenous  to  America,  but  is  the  issue  of 
stock  brought  from  England.  After  the  settlements  were 
well  extended  throughout  tidewater  many  of  these  animals 
escaped  from  the  settlers  into  the  forests,  and  finally  became 
so  wild  as  to  prevent  capture  otherwise  than  by  shooting  them. 
Their  increase,  which  was  rapid,  was  deemed  a  fortunate  cir- 
cumstance as  wild  game  was  rapidly  disappearing  farther  be- 
yond reach.  Knowing  the  experience  which  the  first  set- 
tlers— their  forefathers — had  with  famine  and  the  distress 
caused  by  starvation,  the  general  assembly  for  protection 
against  such  calamity  forbade  by  law  the  killing  of  wild  hogs, 
except  as  a  reward  for  killing  wolves,  wherein  "  a  hog  might 
be  shot  for  every  wolf  killed."  Severe  punishments  were  pro- 
vided for  violations  of  this  law. 

Up  to  the  period  of  the  passage  of  the  "  no  fence  law," 


LANDS   AND   PRODUCTS  261 

there  was  in  every  county  a  large  amount  of  land  known  as 
"in  the  commons/'  because  it  was  without  either  fence  or 
tillage.  Such  lands  were  used  as  common  pasturage  by  the 
public  for  their  cattle  and  hogs,  without  protest  by  the  indi- 
vidual owners  of  these  lands. 

Before  hogs  were  "  turned  out  in  the  commons  "  they  were 
marked  with  a  "  slit "  or  a  "  crop  "  of  the  ears  so  as  to  identify 
them  to  their  owners. 

His   left   ear's    cropp'd 
His  right  ear's  slit, 
When  you  see  my  hog, 
You  may  know  it's  it. 

Hogs  when  left  in  the  commons  for  a  season  become  quite 
shy,  and  are  difficult  to  approach.  When  needed  for  penning 
and  fattening  they  are  "  tolled  "  first  by  scattering  corn  within 
their  range  until  they  become  accustomed  to  the  feeding.  A 
pen  of  poles  is  then  built  in  the  vicinity  with  a  polegate  way, 
and  the  gate  is  so  adjusted  as  to  fall  when  they  enter.  Corn 
is  then  scattered  around,  and  into  the  pen  at  a  certain  hour 
of  the  day,  and  thus  continued  for  several  days,  or  until  the 
animals  become  accustomed  to  enter  the  pen.  At  a  proper 
time,  the  gate  is  adjusted  to  fall  into  place  and  enclose  them. 

For  a  short  while  after  the  hog  is  "  turned  out  in  the  com- 
mons "  he  is  given  small  fords  of  corn.  By  the  time  his 
allowance  is  shortened  to  a  standstill,  the  hog  has  learned  that 
his  owner  cannot  longer  be  depended  upon  for  a  further 
supply  of  food,  and  that  he  must  thereafter  "  root  hog  or  die." 
From  that  day  on  the  animal  leads  a  strenuous  life  by  keeping 
bis  nose  to  the  ground  in  search  of  wild  berries,  acorns,  chin- 
qiioj.ins,  and  edible  roots,  and  in  due  time  he  develops  upon 
uncertain  rations  into  a  bundle  of  bones,  muscle,  hide  and 
bristles.  A-  he  is  too  Lean  to  shoot,  can  outrun  a  negro,  or 
fight  a  dog  to  a  finish,  he  is  then  classed  a  "Pine  Hooter,"  and 
i    jafe  and  undisturbed  until  his  o  "  tolls  "  him.     \\ 


2G2  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Such  a  hog  is  alarmed  he  has  the  muscular  power  to  raise  the 
bristles  upon  his  back  bone,  and  can  keep  them  in  that  posi- 
tion at  his  will.  When  the  "  pine  rooter "  has  his  bristles 
elevated  on  his  back  to  "  a  fine  point "  he  is  then  a  "  Eazor 
Back,"  because  his  back  appears  to  be  as  sharp  as  a  razor. 

The  main  meat  products  of  a  Tidewater  Virginia  farmer 
are  derived  from  the  hog,  and  the  finest  flavored  and  most 
healthy  meats  are  produced  from  "  Pine  Eooters "  and 
"  Razor  Backs."  When  such  hogs  are  penned  and  given 
abundance  of  corn  they  fatten  rapidly  into  the  solid  and  ten- 
der meat  which  has  made  an  unsurpassed  reputation  for  it- 
self. 

The  hams,  shoulders,  and  middlings  are  cured  with  dry 
salt,  well  rubbed  in  with  a  slight  admixture  of  salt  petre. 

Meats  cured  in  this  manner  have  not  the  flabby,  and  watery 
condition  which  are  such  prominent  features  of  the  slaughter 
house  products  cured  in  brine. 

After  the  meats  are  sufficiently  cured  in  salt,  they  are 
rubbed  with  black  pepper,  brown  sugar,  or  molasses,  and 
hickory  wood  ashes,  and  smoked  with  hickory  chips,  or  corn 
cobs.  The  smoking  is  done  leisurely  so  that  the  curing  and 
smoking  may  penetrate  the  whole  piece.  Meats  prepared  in 
this  manner  will  keep  sound  and  wholesome  for  almost  in- 
definite time. 

There  are  many  other  products  of  the  hog,  among  which 
are  the  "  country  sausage."  This  is  made  from  "  scraps  of 
parings  "  when  shaping  hams,  shoulders,  and  middlings,  and 
is  composed  of  fat  and  lean  meats  well  blended  together,  and 
when  properly  seasoned  with  salt,  pepper,  and  sage  makes  a 
deliciously  appetizing  and  healthy  food. 

Unlike  the  slaughter  house  product  of  skin,  gristle,  muscle, 
and  lean  "  scraps,"  the  country  sausage  of  Tidewater  Vir- 
ginia does  not  require  an  addition  of  lard  to  fry  it,  nor  a 
sharp  tooth  to  masticate  it. 

Chittlins  (Chitterlings)  are  composed  of  the  entrails  of  the 


LANDS   AND   PRODUCTS  2G3 

hog,  well  cleansed  in  repeated  solutions  of  salt  and  water  for 
several  days.  They  are  then  thoroughly  boiled  in  clear  water, 
and  afterwards  laid  down  in  stone  jars  and  covered  with 
apple  vinegar. 

When  eaten,  they  were  usually  fried  and  served  hot  with 
batter  bread.  Owing  to  its  more  or  less  strong  odors,  this 
dish  i9  not  relished  by  some  persons. 

A  Yankee  traveler  from  "  Down  East "  stopped  at  a  Tide- 
water Virginia  tavern  for  breakfast,  and  was  handed  a  dish 
of  hot,  fried  chittlins  which  he  slightingly  refused,  and  when 
asked  what  else  he  wished,  called  for  "  cod  fish  balls." 

"  Stranger,"  said  the  landlord,  "  I've  heard  of  such  eat- 
ables up  in  town,  but  we  don't  have  'em  down  yere  kase  we 
couldn't  bear  the  smell  of  'em." 

There  are  dishes  of  food  which  the  Tidewater  Virginian 
would  refuse  even  at  the  peril  of  starvation,  among  them  are 
cod  fish,  sour  krout,  limberger  cheese,  baked  beans,  or  apple 
pie  for  breakfast. 

There  may  be  times  of  scarcity  in  some  of  the  food  commo- 
dities in  Tidewater  Virginia,  but  never  a  period  of  starvation 
since  the  first  few  colonists  learned  to  look  beneath  the  sur- 
face of  the  soil,  and  into  its  adjacent  waters  for  Nature's 
abundant  stores  which  awaited  the  touch  of  the  industrious, 
but  intelligent  hand  to  bring  them  within  reach. 

A  reference  to  the  commodities  shipped  in  the  early  years 
from  Virginia,  would  indicate  that  the  colonists  had  not 
learned  to  till  the  soil  to  advantage,  as  there  was  not  one 
agricultural  product  amongst  these  early  shipments.  They 
were  the  products  of  the  forest  and  the  water. 

The  first  cargo  shipped  by  the  colony  was  glittering  dirt- 
sulphuret  of  antimony — taken  by  Newport  on  his  return 
from  the  second  trip  to  Virginia.  Soon  after  Newport's  de- 
parture, the  Phoenix — the  vessel  of  Nelson  who  accompanied 
Newport  from  England,  but  was  blown  back  to  the  West 
Indies — arrived  with  some  of  the  provisions   which  he  had 


264  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

saved.  The  coionists  desired  him  to  also  load  gold  dirt  for  a 
return  cargo,  but  Smith  succeeded  in  loading  the  vessel  with 
cedar  instead.  This  was  the  first  valuable  cargo  sent  from 
Virginia  to  England. 

On  June  22,  1610,  the  Council  in  Virginia  wrote  the 
Council  in  London  regarding  the  shipment  of  sassafras  roota 
by  the  sailors  of  the  returning  ship :  "  Our  easiest  and  richest 
commodity  being  sassafras  rootes  were  gathered  upp  by  the 
sailors  with  losse  and  spoile  of  our  tools  and  withdrawing  of 
our  men  from  our  labour,  to  their  uses  againste  our  knowledge 
to  our  prejudice,  we  earnestlie  entreat  you  (and  doe  truste) 
that  you  take  order  as  we  be  not  thus  defrauded,  since  they 
be  all  waged  men,  yet  doe  wee  wishe  that  they  be  reasonablie 
dealt  withall  so  as  all  losse,  neither  fall  on  us  nor  them.  I 
believe  they  have  thereof  two  townes  (tons?)  at  the  leaste 
wich  if  they  scatter  abroad  at  their  pleasure  will  pull  down 
our  price  for  a  long  time,  this  we  leave  to  your  wisdomes." 

The  colonists  were  instructed  how  to  prepare  things  for 
shipment  to  England : 

"  Small  sassafras  rootes  to  be  drawn  in  the  winter  and 
dryed  and  none  to  be  meddled  with  in  the  summer,  and  it  ia 
worth  £50  and  better  per  Towne." 

"  Baye  beries  are  to  be  gathered  when  they  turn  blacke 
Worth  per  Towne  £12." 

"  Poccone  to  be  gotten  from  the  Indians,  worth  per  Towne 
£100. 

"  Galbrand  groweth  like  f ennell  in  fashion.  You  must  cut 
it  in  May  or  June,  x  x  to  be  cut  in  small  pieces  and  pressed 
in  your  small  presses  which  were  sent  over  for  oyle,  the  juice 
thereof  is  to  be  saved  and  put  in  casks,  which  will  be  wurthe 
here  per  Towne  £100  at  leaste." 

"  Sarsaparila  is  a  root  that  runneth  within  the  ground  like 
unto  Licoras.  The  roote  is  to  be  pulled  up  and  dryed  and 
bound  up  in  bundles  like  Faggott.  It  is  wurthe  per  Towne 
£200." 


LANDS   AXD   PRODUCTS 


265 


"  Walnut  oyle  is  worth  here  £30  per  Towne  and  the  like  is 
chestnut  oyle  and  checkinkamyne  oil"  (chinquopin). 

"  Wyne  a  hogshead  or  two  sower  as  it  should  be  sent  for  a 
sample,  and  some  of  the  grapes  packed  in  sande." 

"  Silk  grasse,  should  be  sent  in  quantity." 

"Bever  Codd  is  likewise  to  be  cutt  and  dryed  and  will 
yeald  here  5s  per  lb  " — supposed  to  be  yellow  pond  lily. 

"Beaver  skynnes  being  taken  in  winter  tyme  will  yeald 
great  profit,  the  like  with  Otter  skynnes." 

"  Oak  and  walnutt  tree  is  best  to  be  cut  in  the  winter,  the 
oak  to  be  cleaven  into  clapborde,  but  the  walnutt  tree  to  be 
let  lye  " — in  logs. 

"Pyne  trees,  or  furre  trees  are  to  be  wounded  within  a 
yarde  of  the  grounde,  or  boare  a  hole  with  an  Agar  the  thirde 
parte  into  the  tree,  and  let  it  run  into  anything  that  may  re- 
ceive the  same  and  that  which  issues  out  will  be  Turpentine 
worthe  £18  per  Towne." 

"  Pitche  and  Tarre  hath  been  made  there.  And  we  doubt 
not  wil  be  agayne,  and  some  sent  for  a  sample,  your  owne 
turnes  being  first  served." 

"  Sturgion  which  was  last  sent,  came  ill  conditioned,  not 
being  well  boyled,  if  it  were  cut  in  small  pieces,  and  powdred 
put  up  in  caske,  the  heads  pickled  by  themselves  and  sent 
hither  it  would  do  farr  better." 

"  Rowes  of  the  said  Sturgeon  make  Cavearie  according  to 
instructions  formerly  given." 

"  Sounds  of  the  said  Sturgion  will  make  Isinglass  worth 
here  £G,  13s,  4d  per  100  pounds." 

"Cavearie  well  conditioned  £40  per  100  pounds." 

These  instructions  were  sent  by  the  Company  to  Virginia 
in  1610.  Consider  the  changes  in  300  .wars.  According  to 
railroad  statisticians,  the  grain  crop  of  the  United  States  for 
the  year  L905,  will  aggregate  1,500,000  car  loads.  Dividing 
this  into  trains  of  forty  car-  each,  there  would  he  required 
500  locomotives,  which  together  with  the  cars  would  extend 


2G6  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

end  to  end  a  total  distance  of  12,286  miles.  These  figures 
are  estimates  only  of  the  grain  which  will  be  moved  to  market 
centers  on  steam  roads.  It  is  stated  that  probably  not  more 
than  one  third  of  the  grain,  consisting  of  corn,  oats,  wheat, 
barley  and  rye  produced  in  that  year  will  ever  enter  a  freight 
car.  The  other  two  thirds  will  be  hauled  to  local  mills  in 
wagons,  or  be  consumed  by  live  stock  on  the  farms.  To  haul 
the  corn  crop  alone  would  require  a  train  of  21,000  miles  in 
length. 


CHAPTER  XX 
Life  and  Customs. 


I.     Religion. 

The  first  permanent  English  settlement  in  America,  was 
begun  by  Church  of  England  men,  and  during  the  age  of 
religious  intolerance  and  persecution  throughout  the  Christian 
world.  Lord  Baltimore,  a  Catholic  nobleman,  came  to  Vir- 
ginia to  seat  a  colony  but  upon  being  presented  with  the 
"oath  of  allegiance  and  supremacy"  to  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, he  refused,  and  made  the  settlement  in  Maryland. 

Until  about  the  date  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  the  Church 
of  England  controlled  the  colony.  Many  of  the  first  acts  of 
assembly  relate  to  provision  for  that  church.  It  was  required 
by  law  that  in  every  settlement  in  which  the  people  met  to 
worship  God,  a  house  should  be  appointed  for  that  purpose. 
Glebe  lands  were  laid  off  and  the  country  divided  into 
parishes,  and  the  minister's  salary  provided  for  from  the  best 
(sweet  scented)  tobacco,  and  corn. 

By  an  act  of  the  Assembly,  1623-4  it  was  decreed. 

"  That  no  man  dispose  of  any  of  his  tobacco  before  the 
minister  be  satisfied,  upon  pain  of  forfeiture  double  his  part 
of  the  ministers  means,  and  one  man  of  every  plantation  to 
collect  his  means  of  the  first  and  best  tobacco  and  corn." 

Penalties  were  imposed  for  absence  during  divine  service 
on  Sunday,  without  sufficient  excuse,  and  a  clause  was  added 
forbidding  profanation  of  that  day  by  traveling  or  work. 

The  compulsory  payment  of  ministers  was  abandoned  about 
1658,  though  no  act  of  religious  freedom  was  passed  until  the 
lc.Lfislaturc  of  1785  passed  an  act  establishing  religious  free- 
dom, and  subsequently  repealed  all  laws  which  recognized  the 
"Protestant  Episcopal  Church"  as  the  legal  establishment. 
The  glebe  lands,  and  all  oilier  church  property,  was  then 
vested  in  the  overseer  of  the  poor  for  charitable  purposes,  re- 

[  267  1 


268  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

serving  only  to  the  living  incumbents  an  estate  for  life,  and 
exempting  the  church  buildings  from  confiscation.  There 
are  many  of  the  old  colonial  churches  yet  standing  throughout 
Tidewater  Virginia.  They  are  nearly  all  of  the  same  style  of 
architecture,  substantially  built  of  brick,  the  mortar  between 
which  appears  to  be  nearly  as  solid  and  lasting  as  the  brick 
itself. 

The  Baptists  are  now  the  most  numerous  religious  sect  in 
Tidewater  Virginia.  The  Methodists  are  the  next  in  num- 
bers. The  Church  of  England  has  now  a  comparative  few 
adherents  in  that  section.  The  Baptists  were  said  to  be  very- 
loyal  during  the  Eevolutionary  War.  They  tendered  the  ser- 
vices of  their  ministers  in  promoting  the  enlistment  of  the 
youth  of  their  religious  persuasion,  and  were  prominent  in 
efforts  to  secure  religious  freedom.  They  sent  many  petitions 
to  the  legislature  of  their  State,  asking  for  religious  freedom, 
amongst  which  is  the  following  in  verse : 

"  To  the  Honorable  General  Assembly  " 
"The  Humble  Petition  of  a  Country  Poet." 

"  Now  liberty  is  all  the  plan, 
The  chief  pursuit  of  every  man 
Whose  heart  is  right,  and  fills  the  mouth 
Of  patriots  all,  from  North  to  South. 

"  May  a  poor  bard,  from  bushes  sprung, 
Who  yet  has  but  to  rustics  sung, 
Address  your  honorable  House, 
And  not  your  angry  passions  rouse? 

"Hark!  for  awhile  your  business  stop; 
One  word  into  your  ears  I'll  drop; 
No  longer  spend  your  needless  pains, 
To  mend  and  polish  o'er  our  chains, 
But  break  them  off  before  you  rise, 
Nor  disappoint  our  watchful  eyes. 


LIFE   AND   CUSTOMS  269 

"  What  say  great  Washington  and  Lee? 
'  Our  Country  is,  and  must  be  free'. 

What  say  great  Henry,  Pendleton, 

And  Liberty's  minutest  son? 

Tis  all  one  voice — they  all  agree, 
'  God  made  us,  and  we  must  be  free'. 

Freedom  we  crave  with  every  breath, 

An  equal  freedom,  or  a  death. 

"  The  heavenly  blessing  freely  give, 
Or  make  an  Act  we  shall  not  live; 
Tax  all  things;  water,  air,  and  light, 
If  need  be;  yea,  tax  the  night, 
But  let  our  brave  heroic  minds 
Move  freely  as  Celestial  winds. 

"  Make  vice  and  folly  your  rod, 
But  leave  our  consciences  to  God; 
Leave  each  man  free  to  choose  his  form 
Of  piety,  nor  at  him  frown. 

"And  he  who  minds  the  Civil  law, 
And  keeps  it  whole  without  a  flaw, 
Let  him,  just  as  he  pleases,  pray, 
And  seek  for  heav'n  in  his  own  way; 
And  if  he  miss,  we  all  must  own 
No  man  is  wrong'd  but  he  alone." 

The  first  Baptist  church  of  the  colony  was  at  Burley,  Isle 
of  Wight  County,  in  1714.  In  many  of  the  counties,  im- 
prisonment was  inflicted  upon  the  ministers  of  this  sect 
almost  up  to  the  date  of  the  Revolution.  A  notable  instance 
was  the  imprisonment  of  Rev.  John  Waller  forty-six  days  in 
the  jail  at   Orbanna,  a  town  i  hed  by  law  in  1705,  in 

Middli         •'  Rev.  John  Waller  was  the  first  Baptist 

icher    in    thai    county.     He   was    born    in    Spottsylvania 
County  in  1?  11.  and  in  early  youth  was  said  to  be  addicted  to 
of  wickedness,  and   was  known   as   "Swearing 
Jack  Waller,"  and  the  "  D  Adjutant."     His  conversion 


270  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

was  brought  about  through  the  meekness  of  a  resident  of  hia 
native  county,  who  was  tried  and  convicted  for  preaching  the 
Eaptist  faith,  by  a  jury  of  which  Mr.  Waller  was  a  member. 
In  1773,  Mr.  Waller  removed  to  South  Carolina  where  he  died 
in  1802. 

Keligious  intolerance  is  a  memory  only  of  the  long  past  in 
Tidewater  Virginia,  as  elsewhere  generally  throughout  the 
world. 

The  quiet  of  country  life  is  more  conducive  to  morality  and 
to  the  greater  reverence  for  religion  than  is  usually  found  in 
the  city  life.  The  evening  talks  of  the  assembled  family 
around  the  country  fireside  make  lasting  impressions  upon 
the  youthful  listeners,  and  tends  to  strengthen  their  morals 
against  temptations  which  future  years  may  bring  before 
them. 

Eeligious  worship  entails  self-denial  of  worldly  things. 
When  it  is  conducted  in  the  open  field,  or  in  the  forest,  there 
is  an  added  air  of  sanctity  and  sincerity  which  partakes  less  of 
the  machine  worship  held  in  the  gilded  cathedral  of  the  city 
where  cushioned  seats,  and  many  other  comforts  abound,  and 
fashion  displays  its  best  models. 

The  groves  were  Gods  first  temples.     Ere  man  learned 

To  hew  the  shaft,  and  lay  the  architrave, 

And  spread  the  roof  above  them — ere  he  framed 

The  lofty  vault,  to  gather  and  roll  back, 

The  sound  of  anthems;  in  the  darkling  wood; 

Amid  the  cool  and  silence,  he  knelt  down, 

And  offered  to  the  Mightiest  solemn  thanks 

And  supplication. 

There  are  three  camp  meeting  grounds  in  the  "  Northern 
Neck  "  peninsula.  Two  of  them  belong  to  the  Baptists.  The 
one  named  "  Ivirkland,"  in  honor  of  a  deceased  beloved 
minister  named  "Kirk,"  is  distant  from  Heathsville,  the 
county  seat  of  Northumberland,  about  one  and  one-half  miles. 


LIFE   AND    CUSTOMS 


271 


It  is  situated  on  a  well-drained  knoll,  in  a  grove  of  oak, 
hickory,  chestnut  and  maple  trees.  The  "  tents  "  are  built  of 
wood,  two  stories  iu  height,  fancifully  and  tastefully  designed, 
and  arranged  in  blocks,  or  squares  with  space  for  walks,  or 
"  streets  "  between  each  square.  The  Tabernacle,  constructed 
of  wood,  in  the  form  of  a  square,  is  open  upon  all  sides,  and 
contains  comfortable  pine  benches.  The  camp  is  in  the  midst 
of  a  dense  forest  which  is  reached  through  by-roads,  and  is  be- 
yond the  sight  of  a  public  highway,  or  dwelling  place,  and 
far  from  all  sounds  excepting  those  of  primitive  nature. 

The  "Katy  Dids"  enliven  the  scene  in  the  summer's  eve 
by  their  soft  rasping  melodies,  and  the  squirrels  build  their 
nests  in  the  trees,  and  scamper  through  the  grounds  in  the 
daylight  to  gather  their  winter's  store  of  acorns,  which  in  the 
season  are  plentifully  distributed  over  the  land.  Solemnity 
is  added  to  the  prayers  of  the  congregation  by  the  hooting  owl, 
which  sits  perched  upon  some  monarch  of  the  forest  whose 
limbs  are  so  paralyzed  as  to  shed  their  bark,  and  afford  a 
firm  foothold  for  this  bird  of  solemn  voice. 

During  the  moonlight  nights,  the  sweet  notes  of  the  wild 
mocking  birds  are  chanted  heavenward  from  the  neighboring 
forests  in  unison  with  the  fervent  hymns  of  the  congregation. 

"  Marvin  Grove,"  the  camp  of  the  Methodists,  is  located  in 
Richmond  County,  distant  from  Warsaw,  the  county  seat  of 
justice,  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles,  and  is  also  within  a  dense 
forest.  It  is  located  upon  one  side  of  a  main  road,  on  the 
ridge,  or  backbone,  of  this  peninsula,  in  what  is  locally  known 
as  the  "  Forest "  or  "  Quinton  Oak."  Before  the  Civil  War, 
this  was  the  principal  section  in  which  the  less  wealthy  in- 
habitante  were  located,  and  where  the  greater  number  of 
"  Old  Field  Schools  "  were  found.  The  main  public  roads  of 
this  section  are  not  deeply  worn  by  constant  travel.  For 
many  miles  in  some  directions,  they  resemble  "  Indian  trails  " 
through  the  woods,  and  are  as  quiet,  silent,  and  lonely  for 
succeeding  days  as  when  the  aboriginal    Indian  softly  trod 


272  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

there  in  his  moccasins,  in  pursuit  of  the  game  which  was  so 
abundant  in  his  day. 

Attached  to  each  camp  are  frame  "boarding  tents,'*  open 
upon  all  sides  and  containing  tables  and  benches  of  pine  lum- 
ber. The  floors  of  these  "  tents  "  are  kept  covered  with  pine 
saw-dust,  the  healthy,  and  peculiar  aroma  of  which  fills  the 
surrounding  atmosphere. 

A  quiet  and  orderly  deportment  is  demanded  at  these  seva- 
ral  camp  grounds  as  elsewhere  throughout  Tidewater  Vir- 
ginia. 

MARVIN  GROVE  CAMP  MEETING. 

Religious  Services. 

Morning  Prayers  at  Six  and  a-half  o'clock.  Prayer  and  Ex- 
perience Meeting  at  9  o'clock.  Preaching  at  11  A.  M.,  and  at  3 
and  8  P.  M. 

Order  at  Religious  Services. 

It  is  expected  that  no  person  will  sit  or  talk  in  front  of  any 
tent  during  any  religious  service. 

It  is  expected  that  there  will  be  no  moving  or  standing  about 
the  grounds  during  any  religious  service. 

It  is  expected  that  there  will  be  no  smoking  at  or  around  tho 
Tabernacle  during  any  religious  service. 

Order  on  the  Grounds. 

At  sound  of  the  bell  at  6  A.  M.,  persons  are  requested  to  rise 
and  prepare  for  morning  prayer. 

At  sound  of  the  bell,  about  half  an  hour  after  the  close  of  the 
services  at  night,  it  is  expected  that  all  persons  will  retire  within 
the  tents  and  that  loud  talking  and  laughter  will  cease. 

No  one  will  be  permitted  to  remain  under  the  Tabernacle  after 
the  close  of  services  at  night. 

All  persons,  who  by  quiet  and  orderly  conduct  and  behavior, 
are  willing  to  lend  their  aid  to  the  success  of  the  meeting, 
and  no  others,  are  respectfully  invited  to  attend. 

An  efficient  police,  appointed  according  to  law,  will  be  con- 
stantly  in   attendance,   and  while  it  is  confidently  hoped  and 


LIFE   AAD   CUSTOMS  273 

expected  that  there  will  be  no  need  for  their  services,  yet  should 
ill-disposed  persons  be  present  and  make  it  necessary  to  do  so, 
those  in  charge  of  the  meeting  -will  not  shrink  from  the  duty  of 
enforcing  the  law ;  though  they  think  they  can  trust  to  the  sense 
of  propriety  and  gentlemanly  instincts  of  their  visitors  for  the 
maintenance  of  good  order.  Such  other  rules  as  may  be  neces- 
sary will  be  made  known  from  time  to  time. 

Marvin  Grove  Camp  Ground  Committee. 

"  Wharton  Grove  "  Baptist  camp  stands  upon  the  banks  of 
the  Curritoman  Kiver,  in  Lancaster  County,  in  a  pretty  grove 
of  timber.  It  is  easily  approached  by  boats,  and  therefore 
can  readily  be  visited  by  persons  on  both  banks  of  the  Rappa- 
hannock  River. 

Religious  services  are  held  on  these  several  camp  grounds 
by  one  or  the  other  of  the  religious  sects,  during  either  July 
or  August.  They  usually  end  with  a  goodly  number  of  com- 
municants added  to  their  membership. 

The  camps  are  largely  attended  by  the  residents  of  the  adja- 
cent counties,  and  also  by  many  visitors  from  the  nearby 
cities  in  Virginia,  and  from  Baltimore,  Alexandria,  and 
Washington. 

The  several  grounds  were  well  selected  for  summer  use, 
with  abundance  of  shade,  and  good  water.  They  would  make 
delightful,  healthy  summer  resorts. 

When  camp  meetings  and  protracted  meetings  begin,  then 
one  hears  many  stories  as  to  food  and  drink.  Every  old 
Tidewater  Virginia  hen  learns  when  the  season  of  camp  meet- 
ing is  at  hand,  and  it  is  irreverently  stated  that  she  keeps  her 
weather  eye  open  on  the  lookout  for  gentlemen  with  plain, 
black  raiment,  and  straight-stand-up  collars,  and  high  cut 
1 8.  Whenever  the  negro  chaps  are  seen  scampering  around 
the  dwelling  house  lawn  in  breathless  haste,  with  their  heads 
bowed  down,  and  their  arms  outstretched  each  one  running  in 
opposite  direction  to  the  other,  and  occasionally  squat  flat 

18 


274  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

with  lightning-like  rapidity  upon  the  earth,  and  grab,  as  it 
were,  at  a  shadow,  and  feathers  fly  in  the  air,  and  a  squawk  of 
distress  is  heard,  one  may  know  that  camp  meeting  is  at  hand, 
or  there  is  a  preacher  in  the  "  Great  House,"  and  that  fried 
chicken  will  be  one  of  the  many  delicious  ingredients  of  the 
bountiful  repast  offered  him. 

A  negro  mammy  was  asked  if  fried  chicken  was  healthy 
food :  "  Suttin'ly  dey  is,"  she  replied,  "  Wy  honey,  some  o' 
dem  Mefodis  preachers  doa'n  nevah  eet  nothin'  else  "  ceptin ' 
fried  chicken  an'  egg  pone  w'en  dey  comes  to  ol'  Missus  table. 
Ef  it  war'nt  fitten  to  eet,  yo'  knows  dey  wouldn't  look  so  fat 
an'  good  looking'  as  dey  is." 

In  the  olden  time  camp  meeting,  the  congregation  was 
summoned  to  prayer  by  loud  blasts  of  a  large  tin  horn,  which 
awoke  the  echoes  of  the  forests  in  tones  that  suggested  strong 
lungs  behind  its  wide  open  mouth.  It  is  related  that  a 
pranky  sinner  once  played  a  trick  upon  the  sedate,  and  pious 
minister  who  was  officiating  at  a  successful  revival  held  in  a 
primitive  "  bush  arbor  "  meeting.  This  sinner  secretly  con- 
veyed to  the  camp  a  can  full  of  soft  soap,  and  while  the 
minister's  attention  was  directed  from  the  platform  upon 
which  a  big  tin  horn  was  placed,  he  filled  it  to  overflowing 
with  the  juicy  essence  of  lye  and  soap  grease,  replaced  it  care- 
fully where  found,  got  beyond  its  reach,  and  gleefully  awaited 
results.  It  appeared  that  the  minister  was  detained  longer 
than  anticipated,  and  upon  noting  the  hour,  he  hastily 
ascended  the  platform,  hurriedly  picked  up  the  horn,  and 
with  full  inflated  lungs  blew  with  all  his  force  into  it.  The 
assembled  worshippers  who  were  already  seated  contiguous  to 
the  platform,  received  the  contents  of  the  horn  upon  their 
heads. 

Ignorant  of  the  cause  of  the  dodging  commotion  of  his  con- 
gregation, he  continued  to  blow  until  the  last  atom  of  soap 
was  cast  from  the  horn  over  the  pretty  bonnets  of  the  females, 


LIFE   AND   CUSTOMS  275 

and  into  the  upturned  faces  of  the  astonished  males,  before  he 
discovered  the  sad  mishap  of  which  he  was  the  innocent  cause. 
Scornfully  casting  aside  the  soaped  horn,  he  implored  his  con- 
gregation to  assemble  in  earnest  prayer  for  the  discovery  and 
conversion  of  the  "  great  sinner  "  who  was  the  principal  cause 
of  the  calamity.  He  graphically  described  the  punishments 
meted  out  to  sinners  who  failed  to  repent,  and  with  particular 
emphasis,  foretold  the  "  destruction  of  the  sinner  who  dared 
soap  a  camp  meeting  horn." 

During  the  course  of  the  revival,  it  was  observed  by  the 
minister  that  a  certain  young  man  of  the  congregation  was 
extremely  agitated,  and  loudly  implored  forgiveness  of  his 
sins.  It  was  the  custom  during  revivals  for  the  minister  to 
go  about  among  the  congregation  and  speak  words  of  en- 
couragement and  consolation.  When  the  young  man  was 
reached,  the  deep  agony  depicted  upon  his  face  was  observed, 
and  repeated  efforts  were  made  to  console  him.  He  was  re- 
minded that  forgiveness  of  sins  was  possible  after  due  repent- 
ance. But  his  grief  increased  with  the  list  of  sins  which  the 
pious  minister  enumerated,  and  as  he  continued  to  declare  in 
leud  sobbing  tones  that  his  sin  was  greater  than  all  the  others 
yet  enumerated,  the  suspicions  of  the  minister  were  aroused, 
and  without  more  ado,  he  shed  his  clerical  frock,  shook  his 
fist,  and  shouted,  "Brother  Deacon  Sampson,  hold  my  coat 
while  I  wallop  salvation  into  this  infernal  sinner  who  soaped 
my  horn !" 

Before  the  introduction  of  church  organs,  there  were  cer- 
tain "  sisters  "  or  "  brothers  "  of  the  congregation  whose  duty 
it  was  to  "  raise  the  hymn."  One  of  these  hymn  raisers  had 
such  a  sweet  voice  that  the  congregation  to  which  she  belonged 
usually  waited  until  she  sang  several  verses,  before  they  joined 
in  the  singing.  During  her  absence  on  a  certain  occasion, 
one  of  the  brethren,  whose  voice  was  said  to  be  attuned  to 
notes  between  a  foghorn  sound  and  a  mule  braying  for  his 
mate,  to  the  great  aston  'it  of  the  con,r  n  "  raised 


276  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

the  hymn/'  and  carried  it  through  two  or  three  verses  until 
interrupted  by  the  loud  sobs  and  cries  of  a  "  sister  "  who  was 
seated  in  the  pew  immediately  in  front  of  him.  Fearing 
that  the  sister  was  sick,  he  ceased  in  his  lrymn  raising  and 
teaning  forward,  asked  her  if  she  were  sick,  and  what  could  he 
do  for  her,  to  which  she  replied : 

"  Brother  Jeems,  I  couldn't  help  it.  You  know  what  bad 
luck  I've  had  lately.  I  lost  my  poor  dear  husband  just  a 
month  ago  to-day,  and  my  son  John  went  off  last  week,  and 
yesterday  my  old  mule  '  Jennie '  that  I  sot  such  store  by,  she 
up  and  died  too.  Poor  thing !  she  used  to  come  to  the  yard 
gate  ev'ry  morning  and  wake  me  up  braying,  and  when  I 
heard  you  raise  that  hymn,  your  voice  was  so  much  like  the 
poor  old  critter  I  just  couldn't  help  crying.  God  bless  you 
brother  Jeems." 

It  is  said  that  the  selection  of  a  "  religious  faith,"  is  often 
governed  by  early  training  and  environments.  The  negroes 
in  days  of  slavery,  usually  followed  their  owners  in  selection 
of  their  religious  worship.  Places  were  provided  in  the 
churches  of  the  whites  for  the  colored.  In  those  days,  there 
were  no  separate  houses  of  worship  for  the  negro. 

At  the  ending  of  the  Civil  War,  the  colored  provided  their 
own  houses  of  worship.  In  this  they  were  frequently  aided 
through  contributions  of  the  whites. 

Directly  after  the  Civil  War,  many  of  the  negroes  who,  in 
days  of  slavery,  had  been  "  exorters  "  on  the  plantations,  de- 
cided they  had  "  a  call  to  preach,"  and  impatient  to  enter  into 
the  good  work,  they  ordained  themselves. 

Many  of  the  negroes  were  superstititious,  and  earnest  be- 
lievers in  ghosts  and  "  ha'nts."  To  break  the  spell  of  a  ha'nt, 
they  depended  upon  the  power  of  certain  charms  which  could 
ward  off  ill  luck,  sickness,  and  accidents,  and  the  ill  will  of 
enemies.  The  left  hind  foot  of  a  rabbit  caught  in  a  grave 
yard  was  powerful,  especially  if  caught  on  a  Friday  night.  A 
mixture  of  three  hairs  from  the  tip  of  a  black  cat's  tail,  the 


LIFE   AXD   CUSTOMS 


277 


upper  jaw  of  a  bull  frog,  and  a  few  drops  of  the  blood  from 
the  first  hog  killing  in  the  fall,  when  put  in  a  black  stocking 
and  suspended  from  a  bush  in  running  water  would  aid  the 
stream  in  carrying  off  with  its  waters  many  miseries  which 
flesh  is  heir  to. 

The  trials  and  tribulations  of  the  children  of  Israel  were 
fascinating  stories  to  many  of  them.  They  were  especially 
fond  of  hearing  the  story  of  the  Jews  in  their  struggles  to 
reach  the  Land  of  Canaan.  At  the  close  of  the  Civil  War, 
had  the  United  States  Government  offered  to  send  the  negroes 
to  the  Land  of  Canaan  in  a  transport  "  ship  named  Zion," 
very  many  of  them  would  have  consented  to  go,  and  would 
have  been  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  being  "so  near  to 

glory/' 

"The  Old  Ship  of  Zion, 
Hal-le-lu-jah, 
The  Old  Ship  of  Zion, 
Hal-le-lu-jah! 

She  landed  many  thousands, 
And  she  -will  land  as  many  more, 
O,  Glory  Hal-le-lu-jah!" 

A  profound  knowledge  of  the  scriptures,  or  a  strict  adher- 
ence to  grammatical  rules  were  not  necessary  qualifications  of 
a  negro  preacher  in  the  early  years  following  the  Civil  War. 
On  the  contrary,  the  one  who  used  the  apt  phrases,  and  the 
simple,  though  ungrammatical  dialect  of  the  masses,  was  the 
more  successful  with  his  hearers. 

To  reach  the  masses,  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  rapid  flow 
of  words,  and  a  vivid  imagination,  with  a  capacity  of  fitting 
the  every  day  life  of  the  present  with  that  of  the  hereafter. 

Many  of  them  conducted  their  discourse  in  a  "  sing-a-song  " 
tone,  and  at  the  end  of  each  three  or  four  words,  they  would 
utter  an  "Ah,"  as  if  catching  their  breath.  Some  of  the  "  old 
time  "  white  preachers  were  addicted  to  this  practice. 


278  LIFE  IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

The  voice  of  the  preacher  was  usually  intoned  to  suit  his 
words.  When  he  pictured  the  misery  of  the  sinners  during 
the  hereafter,  in  their  cruel  torments  of  brimstone  fire,  the 
inflections  were  ringing,  loud,  and  warning.  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  earnest  appeals  to  the  "  backsliders  "  to  return,  and 
for  the  sinners  to  mend  their  ways,  else  the  torments  so 
vividly  described  would  be  their  lot. 

Upon  a  certain  occasion,  after  a  sermon  of  this  description 
was  preached,  at  a  pine  bush  arbor  revival  meeting,  one  of  the 
congregation,  a  hardened  sinner,  and  a  scoffer  of  religion, 
asked  the  preacher :  "  How  far  off  yo'  reckon  de  devil  is  f um 
yere  ?" 

"  How  oP  is  yo'  Bre'r  Petah  ?"  asked  the  preacher. 

"  Well,  suh,  I  'spect  I'se  long  'bout  fohty  foh." 

"  W'en  yo'  wuz  b'on  inter  dis  worl'  "  said  the  preacher,  "  de 
devil  wuz  jes'  fohty  foh  years  behin'  yo',  an'  all  I'se  got  ter 
say  is,  dat  ef  he  aint  cotched  up  wid  yo'  yit'taint  yo'  own 
fau't." 

"  Dar,  bless  de  Lam,  Bre'r,  yo'  don't  tol'  de  truth  one  time," 
exclaimed  one  of  the  congregation. 

When  the  picture  relates  to  the  joys  of  heaven,  the  preacher 
"  is  at  home,"  because  of  his  vivid  imagination.  When  such 
joys  are  being  depicted,  the  weaker  sisters  get  excited  and 
"  happy."  Then  they  start  to  singing,  first  in  crooning,  slow 
tones,  followed  by  movements  of  the  body  swaying  from  side 
to  side  in  unison  with  the  song : 

Come,   yo'   sinners   po'r   an'   needy 

Weak  an'  wounded,  sick  an'  so'er. 
Jesus  ready  Stan's  to  save  yo', 
Full  uv  pity,  luv,  an'  pow'r. 

As  the  preacher  pictures  the  golden  streets,  the  beautifully 
dressed  angels  in  their  golden  slippers  "  climbin'  up  de  golden 
stahrs,"  and  playing  sweet,  heavenly  music  upon  golden  harps, 
the  congregation  gets  beyond  their  own  control,  and  declare 


LIFE   AND   CUSTOMS  279 

their  happy  mood  in  voices  of  appeal  to  the  Throne  of  Grace, 
indicating  their  readiness  to  leave  this  cold  and  distressful 
world  at  once  and  join  in  those  heavenly  joys.  They  intimate 
their  desire  to  die  then  and  there.  When  this  mood  controls, 
they  shake  each  othr's  hands  and  embrace  each  other  and  use 
endearing  expressions  of  good  will  to  all  mankind.  The 
feebler  and  more  excited  sisters  scream  lightly  and  fall  faint- 
ing to  the  floor  or  into  the  arms  of  those  near  them. 

In  protracted  meetings,  there  are  always  two  classes  of  wor- 
shippers, the  silent  worshippers,  and  the  "shouters."  The 
former  offer  their  fervent  prayers  in  silence,  and  are  thereby 
content  with  the  knowledge  that  the  ear  of  God  can  as  readily 
be  reached  from  the  closed  closet  as  from  the  house  top. 

The  "  shouters  "  are  equally  earnest  in  their  devotions,  but 
a  listener,  upon  hearing  their  loud  and  excited  exclamation, 
would  likely  think  that  they  had  determined  that  the 
vast  expanse  of  space  between  heaven  and  earth,  could  bo 
overcome  only  through  the  greatest  efforts  of  their  lungs. 
The  shouter  being  the  more  excited  and  nervous  of  the  two 
classes  of  worshippers,  was  also  the  more  frequent  interrupter 
of  the  preacher ;  often  when  he  was  in  the  midst  of  a  promi- 
nent and  important  sentence  which  he  should  have  been  per- 
mitted to  utter  uninterrupted  to  the  ending. 

"  Sister  Patsey  "  was  a  shouter  from  "  way  back  befo'  de 
wall/'  and  was  mortally  dreaded  by  her  pious  minister  who 
suffered  often  from  her  interruptions.     On  the  occasion  of  a 

mon  upon  "the  joys  of  heaven,"  which  this  pious  minis- 
ter had  burned  many  midnight  candles  to  compose,  he  was 
abruptly  interrupted  in  the  midst  of  one  of  his  most  glowing 
sentences  by  Sistei  Patsey: 

"  Lawd,  jes'  giv  me  one  mo'  feath'a  in  ma  wing  o'  faith,  an' 
Fee  gwine  flyin'  to  you'." 

"  !  )eah  Lawd,"  said  the  preacher,  "  ef  yo'  has  one  mo' 
feath'a  to  spa^  please  Ben'  it  to  Sistah  I'alsey  soon's  yo'  kin." 

When  the  preacher  makes  a  strong  hit  against  the  sinner, 


280  LIFE    IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

or  vividly  describes  his  misery  hereafter,  a  ready  response  is 
sure  to  follow : 

"Poh  sinnah  man  bu'n."     "Yas  'tis  hot  dar." 
"  No  spring  wat'a  dar  Honey."     "  De  debbil  don'  drink  it 
all  hisse'f." 

Some  of  the  congregation  may  raise  a  hymn  like  the  fol- 
lowing : 

I'se  got  on  de  back  uv  de  Baptis'  mule, 
Sinner  doan'  yo'   stan'  dar  lookin'  laik  a  fule. 
De  bridle  bit  am  silva,  de  saddle  am  gol'. 
An'  I'm  boun'  fo'  to  go  to  Aberhams  fol'! 

An'  I'll  ride, 

Yas  I  will, 
An'  I'll  ride  right  on  to  glory! 

I'se  sunk  ma  sins  in  de  savin'  pool, 
An'  got  on  de  bac'  uv  de  Baptis'  mule, 
An'  yere  I'll  stick  laik  a  great  big  leetz; 
'Till  de  ol'  mule  stomp  on  de  golden  streets: 

An'  I'll  ride, 

Yas  I  will, 
An'  I'll  ride  right  on  to  glory! 

O,  I  longs  fo'  to  reach  dat  heavenly  sho' 
To  meet  Saint  Petah  stan'in'  at  de  do'; 
He'll  say  to  me,  'O,  how  does  yo'  do? 
Cum  set  right  yonda'  in  de  golden  pew'. 

Den  I'll  res', 

Yas  I  will, 
Den  I'll  res'  right  dar  in  glory. 

A  new  preacher  who  was  conducting  a  revival  without 
much  success,  notwithstanding  he  pictured  to  his  hearers  in 
glowing  language  the  great  joys  of  heaven,  and  the  tortures 
of  eternal  fires,  and  the  imprisonment  therein  for  all  eternity, 
of  the  condemned  souls,  at  last  awakened  his  congregation  to 
a  sense  of  their  danger  by  asking : 

" Does  yo'  know  w'at  all  etern'ty  is?     Well,  I  tell  yo'.     Ef 


LIFE   AXD   CUSTOMS  281 

one  uv  clem  liT  sparrows  w'at  yo'  see  roun'  yo'  gyrden  bushes 
wuz  to  dip  his  bill  in  de  'Lantic  Ocean  an'  taik  one  hop  a  day 
an'  hop  'cross  de  country  an'  put  dat  drop  uv  watah  into  de 
'Cific  Ocean,  an'  den  he  hop  back  to  de  'Lantic  Ocean,  jes' 
one  hop  a  day,  an'  ef  he  keep  dat  hoppin'  up  'twell  de  'Lantic 
Ocean  wuz  dry  as  a  bone,  it  wouldn't  be  break  o'  day  in 
etern'ty." 

"  Dar  now,"  said  one  of  the  brethren,  "  Yo'  see  for  yo'se'f 
how  long  yo'  suffer." 

During  revivals,  it  was  customary  for  the  brethren  and 
sisters  to  give  their  "  experience  "  in  order  to  encourage  others 
who  were  doubting  and  hesitating.  The  "experiences"  re- 
lated by  the  two  sexes,  male  and  female,  were  proofs  of  the 
fact  that  woman  is  of  the  weaker  sex.  When  the  men  re- 
lated their  experience,  they  warmed  up  to  the  occasion,  and  in 
loud  and  defiant  tones  told  of  their  struggles  with  temptation, 
and  of  their  wrestling  with  the  individual  devil  himself. 
Their  scumles  with  the  "  evil  one  "  were  exciting  proofs  of 
the  muscular  strength  of  man,  and  evidence  of  the  mind's 
power  to  create  beliefs  that  had  no  foundation  in  fact.  The 
Man's  experience  was  more  muscular  than  spiritual. 

The  "sisters"  told  of  their  little  household  crosses  and 
troubles,  and  how  they  prayed  for  power  to  prevent  fretting 
and  worrying,  and  related  how  they  asked  for  spiritual 
strength  to  enable  them  to  bear  in  silence  their  petty  annoy- 
ances. No  one  of  the  sisters  ever  had  the  courage  to  face  the 
devil  in  person  and  throw  him  flat  on  his  back  and  "  stomp  " 
on  his  prostrate  form,  as  did  her  stronger  and  more  combative 
"  brother  in  the  faith."  The  sisters  were  too  tender  hearted 
to  treat  even  the  devil  in  such  harsh  manner. 

There  was  a  hardened  sinner  who  had  determined  to  join 

church,  but  his  record  for  meanness  was  such  that  when 

he  applied  for  admission,  he  was  told  to  wait  awhile  and  pray 

for  spiritual  aid  to  improve  his  manners  and  morals.     At 


282  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

length  he  became  tired  of  waiting  for  a  call  from  the  brethren, 
and  made  a  new  application.  The  preacher  asked  him  if  he 
prayed  and  communed  with  the  Lord  as  to  whether  he  should 
join  the  church. 

"  Yas  indeed,  I  suttin'ly  has  prayed,  an'  I  tol'  de  Lawd  dat 
I  don'  quit  all  ma  badness  an'  dat  I  wants  to  jine  Shiloh 
Chu'ch." 

"  Well,"  said  the  preacher,  "  how'd  de  Lawd  answer  yo' 
pray'rs  ?" 

"  De  Lawd  he  say  to  me,  I  wish  yo'  bettah  luck  dan  I  has 
Stephen,  kass  I'se  be'n  tryin'  to  jine  dat  chu'ch  fo'  mo'  den 
f ohty  years  mahse'f !" 

THE  OLD  TIME   RELIGION. 

"  It    was    good    for    our    fathers, 
It  was  good  for  our  mothers, 

It  was  good  for  our  sisters, 

It  was  good  for  our  brothers, 

And  'tis  good  enough  for  me. 

Chorus. 

This  old  time  religion, 
This  old  time  religion, 
This  old  time  religion, 
Lord,  it's  good  enough  for  me." 

II.     Hunting  in  Old  Virginia. 

When  the  crops  are  all  harvested,  and  the  corn  shucked 
and  housed,  and  the  fodder  stacks  built,  and  the  season  for 
fishing  has  passed,  it  is  then  time  to  prepare  for  oystering, 
timber  getting  and  hunting.  There  were  few,  if  any,  young 
men  raised  in  that  section  who  failed  at  one  time  or  other  to 
engage  in  a  hunt  for  game  of  some  species.  They  usually 
began  the  custom  when  mere  lads  by  setting  hare  boxes.  The 
construction  of  a  hare  box  requires  no  greater  mechanical 


LIFE   AND   CUSTOMS 


283 


skill  than  is  necessary  to  hit  a  nail  squarely  on  the  head  one 
time  out  of  every  three  efforts.     There  must  not  be  any  new 
plank  in  the  construction  of  a  hare  box.     The  odors  of  the 
new  wood,  and  its  bright  appearance  would  give  the  cue  that 
there  was  something  wrong  "  laying  for  him,"  and  he  would 
refuse  to  be  "  caught  in  such  a  trap."     A  serviceable  box  was 
made  from  an  old,  hollow  gum  log,  and  baited  with  apple,  and 
set  on  the  edge  of  an  old  field,  or  near  a  brush  pile  in  the 
woods.     It  would  gladden  the  heart  of  the  youngster  when  he 
approached  it  and  found  the  door  down,  providing  it  has  not 
shut  down  on  some  prowling,  thievish,  vicious  cat  instead  of 
the  old  hare  which  he  expected  to  lay  hand  upon  as  he 
cautiously  raised  the  door  and  inserted  his  arm  until  in  con- 
tact with  the  snarling,  spitting  mouser.     This  may  be  his 
first  experience,  and  he  is  apt  not  to  forget  it  because  he  will  be 
told  of  it,  and  teased  about  it  by  his  older  brother,  or  com- 
rade who  will  relate  with  gusto,  how  the  young  hunter  skipped 
over  fences  and  ditches  with  his  hat  in  his  hand,  and  a  yell 
fiom  his  lungs  equal  to  an  Indian  on  the  war  path.     Tide- 
water Virginia  has  ever  been  famous  as  a  hunting  ground. 
There  are  wild  ducks  and  geese  on  the  rivers  and  creeks  during 
the  spring  and   fall  months,  and  partridges,  wild  turkeys, 
raccoons,  cpossums,  rabbits   ("old  hares")   and  squirrels  in 
the  forests,  and  game  birds  in  the  fields  and  marshes,  and  in 
some  few  sections  there  are  deer  and  foxes.     Dogs  are  spec- 
ially trained   for  these  several   hunts.     The  negroes  usually 
trained  the  dogs  for  "  night  varmints,"  such  as  'coons  and  'pos- 
soms.     A  good  'coon  dog  is  considered  a  valuable  asset  by  the 
negro  who  is  fond  of  hunting.     A  negro  who  was  noted  for  his 
good  coon  (]o'j^  v.-as  asked  how  many  he  had,  to  which  he  re- 
plied:    "I  haint  gol  bu1  foh  jist  now.     I  hev  sich  bad  luck 
wid  my  pups  dat  it  looks  laik  1  aevah  kin  git  a  sta't  on  dogs 
baa  yo5  any  pups  yo'  wants  to  part  wid  to  trade 
for  a  "muley  c<  The  whites  usually  trained  the  dogs 

for  hi  1   foT   running  deer  and   chasing  foxes.     Each 


284  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

pack  had  its  "  leader  "  dog  which  could  be  depended  upon  to 
keep  the  "scent"  and  the  "trail;"  he  was  known  as  the 
"  harker."  The  hound  dogs  were  not  usually  over  fed  during 
the  hunting  season  and  for  that  reason  were  great  thieves  in 
stealing  food  from  the  kitchen.  Hungry,  thievish  hounds 
have  been  known  to  grab  a  ham,  or  shoulder  of  meat  from  the 
scalding  hot  water  in  which  it  was  being  cooked  in  the  open 
fire  place. 

Every  farmer  kept  several  dogs,  and  the  more  remote  their 
dwelling  house  was  from  the  main  public  highway,  the  greater 
the  number  of  dogs.  When  a  stranger  approached  such  dwell- 
ing, his  coming  was  announced  through  the  deep  baying  tones 
of  some  watchful  hound,  whose  warning  notes  were  sure  to 
awaken  from  their  slumbers  a  howling  pack  of  young  pups, 
and  older  dogs  to  join  this  sentinel  of  the  homestead  in  bid- 
ding defiance  to  the  new  comer. 

If  the  road  leading  to  the  mansion  were  winding,  so  that  a 
short  turn  brought  the  stranger  in  view  suddenly,  within  a 
few  yards  of  the  house,  one  might  hear  the  master  or  mistress 
giving  orders  to  the  servant : 

"  Sally,  run  out  and  see  what  those  dogs  are  barking  at !" 
and  Sally  would  then  hunt  for  a  stick  or  an  oyster  shell  to 
"  chunk  back  the  dogs  who  seemed  fierce  as  wolves : 

"  Git  back  fum  yere,  yo'  yaller  debbils,  'fore  I  chunk  yore 
hide  offen  yo',"  was  Sally's  forceful  warning,  at  which  the 
dogs  would  slink  away,  and  pay  no  more  attention  to  the 
stranger,  other  than  to  smell  of  his  heels  as  he  gladly 
advanced  into  tlr^  house  beyond  their  reach. 

To  one  unaccustomed  to  such  scenes,  and  ignorant  of  the 
fact  that  "barking  dogs  seldom  bite,"  great  credit  would  be 
given  Sally  for  saving  their  life. 

Since  the  Civil  War  there  are  few  large  packs  kept  as  the 
foxes  and  deer  have  in  many  places  become  entirely  extinct, 
and  the  people  have  become  too  industrious  to  spend  much 
time  as  formerly  in  hunting. 


A  Successful  Coon  Hunt. 


iV-^yv^  ^h^f£p!ferr-T/ 


shop    I       •  -. .     Drawing  the  N<  l     Ashore. 


LIFE   AXD   CUSTOMS  233 

In  years  gone  by  it  was  the  desire  of  every  youngster  in 
Tidewater  Virginia  to  own  a  whole  coon  dog  or  a  "right 
smart  share  "  in  one.  The  dog  of  a  youngster  was  a  fortunate 
animal,  as  he  was  sure  to  share  in  all  the  "  good-  eatings  " 
of  his  owner. 

A  good  coon  dog  is  of  medium  size.  He  is  either  a  "  yaller 
dog,"  or  a  mud-brown  color.  He  has  no  pedigree  to  speak  of. 
He  is  best  described  as  a  "  no  account  lazy  dog."  When  he's 
lazy  "he's  jes'  restin',"  for  he  knows  not  what  to-morrow's 
night  will  bring  forth.  When  he  starts  "  out  with  the  boys  " 
he  sheds  his  laziness  in  his  kennel.  A  big  dog  is  not  fit  for  a 
coon  hunt  because  he  is  too  clumsy.  A  good  coon  dog  must 
be  lively  when  the  occasion  arises. 

The  coon  fights  lying  flat  upon  his  back.  When  shaken 
down  from  a  tree,  upon  which  he  has  taken  refuge,  and  lands 
upon  the  ground,  he  determines  at  once  whether  to  run  or 
fight.  He  has  sharp  claws  upon  every  foot  which  he  works 
with  precision  and  lightning  like  rapidity.  These  weapons 
of  defense,  aided  by  sharp  teeth  within  snappy  jaws,  will  make 
a  lazy  dog  lively  and  keep  him  busy  to  save  his  hide.  An  old 
negro  remarked  that  "  de  coon  suttinly  mus'  larned  his 
boxin'  tricks  sparrin'  wid  lightin'."  A  good  hunter  never 
shoots  a  coon  up  a  tree;  he  is  always  shaken  down  from  the 
limb  upon  which  he  has  taken  refuge,  and  if  he  should  for- 
tunately laud  upon  the  back  of  a  big  dog  he  would  have  all  the 
fun  to  himself. 

A  coon  hunt  is  not  complete  without  a  spry  young  negro 
accompanying  the  party  to  climb  the  tree  and  shake  down  the 
coon.  The  start  for  a  coon  hunt  is  made  by  getting  together 
two  or  tlii'  along  about  bod  time.     The  hunting  ground 

may  be  reached  within  a  mile  or  two,  or  more  of  the  starting 
point,  in  the  dense  timberd  woods,  on  the  edge  of  a  swamp  or 
marshy  place.     When  11  hed  the  hunter  lets  the  dogs 

loose,  and  "  whoops,"  and  whistles  in  low,  long  tones  to 
courage  the  dogs,  and  shouts  "  look  'em  up,"  at  the  same  time 


286  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

calling  the  name  of  the  favorite  dog  ("Liza").  When  the 
scent  is  struck,  the  dogs  "  give  mouth,"  and  the  hunter  listens 
and  waits  to  learn  which  direction  the  coon  will  finally  decide 
upon.  The  voice  of  the  dogs  will  indicate  to  the  hunter 
whether  they  have  the  coon  "  on  the  run,"  or  whether  they 
have  "  struck  a  cold  scent."  An  old  man,  or  a  city  bred  man 
with  starched  clothes,  and  patent  leather  shoes,  had  better  not 
engage  in  a  coon  hunt.  The  old  man  would  wear  out  his 
bodily  strength  in  following  the  coon.  The  city  bred  man 
would  wear  out  his  "  store  clothes  "  and  look  like  a  corn  field 
scare  crow,  and  before  the  hunt  is  ended  the  coon's  claws  may 
reach  his  face,  and  then  he  will  look  like  an  Apache  Indian  at 
a  war  dance.  A  Tidewater  Virginia  coon  will  lead  the  dogs 
and  the  hunters  through  the  thickest  of  laurel  bushes  and 
swamp  briars,  through  marshes,  and  deep  dark  gulleys  and 
into  mudholes  knee  deep,  and  may  select  a  tree  for  refuge  in  a 
spot  that  would  mire  a  mule. 

When  the  dogs  are  "on  the  run,"  their  baying  is  open 
mouthed  and  prolonged.  When  they  get  close  upon  the  coon, 
the  baying  is  short,  sharp,  and  eager,  and  when  the  coon  is 
treed  the  dogs  will  raise  their  heads  and  bay  slowly,  as  if 
listening  between  each  breath  for  the  hunter.  If  the  hunter 
is  within  hearing,  they  are  encouraged  by  him  with  a 
"  whoop,"  and  "  Hold  him,  Liza."  The  hunter  can  distin- 
guish the  voice  of  each  dog  in  the  pack.  Only  one  dog  gives 
voice  at  a  time  after  the  coon  is  treed.  The  others  whine,  or 
lie  down  and  wait  quietly.  When  the  hunter  reaches  the  tree, 
a  good  coon  dog  will  endeavor  to  point  out  the  coon  by  going 
around  the  tree,  and  moving  backward  and  forward,  his  nose 
pointed  upward,  and  eagerly  barking.  The  hunter  scans  the 
tree  by  walking  around  it  and  getting  in  range  of  the  sky  line. 
If  the  sky  is  cloudy,  a  fire  of  dry  leaves  and  light  limbs  is 
made  to  burn  brightly,  the  flames  from  which  expose  the 
whole  tree  to  view. 

"Ef  Mistuh  Coon  is  up  dar  I'se  gwine  shake  him  down," 


LIFE   AND    CUSTOMS  287 

and  up  climbs  the  sprightly  negro  to  his  duty.  "All  coons 
look  alike  "  to  one  not  accustomed  to  coon  hunting,  but  they 
are  not  all  alike,  either  in  disposition  or  courage.  Some  will 
fight  upon  the  ground  only,  others  will  fight  up  a  tree.  A 
well  trained  coon  dog  will  stand  a  few  feet  from  the  body  of  a 
tree  ready  to  pounce  upon  anything  that  first  comes  down  to 
the  ground  from  that  tree,  whether  it  be  the  coon,  or  the 
negro  youngster.  It  is  a  matter  of  "  first  come  first  served," 
and  the  dogs  will  do  it  in'  a  hurry.  Many  trees  are  matted 
with  wild  grape  and  "  Virginia  Trumpet "  vines,  and  dry 
forest  leaves  which  during  the  fall  months  accumulate 
amongst  these  vines.  Should  a  coon  seek  refuge  in  such  a 
tree  and  the  hunters  lose  control  of  the  fire,  and  it  should  take 
to  the  mass  of  combustibles  up  that  tree  while  the  negro  is 
shaking  down  a  "  sassy  coon,"  then  matters  take  a  serious 
turn.  If  the  negro  remains  up  the  tree,  the  fire  will  burn 
him  and  the  coon  will  scratch  him.  If  he  comes  down,  the 
will  get  him  before  the  hunters  can  control  them. 

"  Fo'  de  Lawd's  sake,  Mass'  Jack,  hoi'  Liza,  fur  I'm  a 
comin',"  and  down  comes  the  negro.  "  It's  too  hot  up  dar 
fo'  me."  If  he  escapes  the  dog,  it  is  because  of  the  frantic 
and  successful  effort  of  his  young  master  in  luckily  grabbing 
the  tail  of  "  Liza  "  when  she  heard  something  coming  down 
that  tree. 

The   most   exciting    time   of   a   young   coon   hunter's    ex- 
perience, is  when  the  coon  drops  upon  the  ground  and  the 
ht  ilames  of  fire,  which  formerly  made  all  tilings  plain,  is 
suddenly  extinguished  by  the  dogs  in  their  scuflle  and  efforts 
to  reach  the  coon.     Then  all  is  blacker  than  the  famed  dark- 
of  ••  's  midnight/'  and  amid  the  barking  of  the 

■  nd  the  screeches  of  the  coon,  and  the  scattering  of  the 
id  partly  burned  limbs  and  leaves,  and  the  sudden 
and  u:  ted    bumping  of  each   hunter,  one  against   the 

other,  in  their  wild  and  sightless  endeavors  to  avoid  being 
bitten  by  the  dogs,  or  scratched  by  the  coon,  business  becomes 


288  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

so  brisk  under  the  tree  that  until  the  fight  is  finished  no  one 
can  tell  how  many  coons  were  shaken  out  of  it. 

If  the  coon  is  an  old  one,  he  may  have  learned  the  trick  of 
fooling  the  dogs  by  jumping  to  the  limb  of  another  tree;  in 
that  event  he  leaves  the  dogs  "  barking  up  the  wrong  tree  "  to 
be  chidecl  by  the  hunters  as  good  for  nothing,  worthless  curs. 
Sometimes  a  coon  will  seek  a  hollow  tree ;  in  that  event  he  is 
"  smoked  out "  by  a  fire  of  dry  leaves,  or  the  tree  is  cut  down 
and  he  is  reached. 

A  coon  is  hunted  for  the  sake  of  his  hide,  and  a  'possum 
for  his  meat.  The  hide  of  a  coon  is  tanned  with  the  hair  and 
tail  upon  it.  In  former  years,  a  coon  skin  cap,  with  the  tail 
hanging  behind,  and  a  calf  skin  vest  were  the  envied  apparel 
of  a  dandy. 

The  possum  is  the  favorite  with  the  negro.  After  capture, 
the  possum  is  usually  put  in  a  box  or  barrel  to  cleanse  and 
fatten,  then  it  is  roasted  and  served  in  its  own  rich  gravy  with 
Tidewater  Virginia  sweet  yams. 

The  possum  makes  no  fight  when  hunted.  He  usually  runs 
for  his  hole  in  some  hollow  tree.  When  captured  he  "  plays 
possum  "  by  shutting  his  eyes  as  if  he  were  asleep,  or  dead,  all 
the  while  he  is  watching  out  of  one  corner  of  his  apparently 
close  shut  eyes,  for  an  opportunity  to  escape.  While  "'  play- 
ing possum  "  he  disguises  his  breathing  as  much  as  possible. 

There  is  not  so  much  excitment  in  a  possum  hunt  as  there 
is  in  hunting  coons.  Sometimes  disappointment  follows,  as 
proven  by  the  experience  of  one  of  the  two  negroes  who  went 
on  a  possum  hunt  together.  It  appears  that  two  negroes 
hunted  one  night  together  without  success  until  they  were 
very  weary.  Finally  they  succeeded  in  capturing  a  young 
possum,  and  as  they  were  hungry  as  well  as  tired,  they  pre- 
pared the  possum  for  roasting,  kindled  a  fire  and  swung  him 
over  the  blaze  suspended  by  the  tail,  after  which  they  decided 
to  take  a  nap  while  he  roasted.  The  more  crafty  of  the  two 
lay  wide  awake,  and  when  the  possum  was  cooked  enough  he 


LIFE    AND   CUSTOMS  289 

fell  to  and  ate  him.  Before  completing  his  feast,  he  carefully 
greased  the  fingers  and  the  lips  of  his  sleeping  companion  with 
the  fattest  parts  of  the  possum,  then  laid  the  clean  picked 
hones  near  his  hands,  and  lay  down  along  side  of  his  com- 
panion, turned  over  on  his  side  and  was  soon  asleep.  After 
a  while,  his  partner  in  the  hunt  awoke,  and  as  he  was  about  to 
raise  his  body  from  the  ground,  his  hand  struck  the  possum 
bones.  "  Hey  dar !  Wot's  dis  !"  said  he ;  then  he  smacked 
his  greasy  lips  and  tasted  his  greasy  fingers :  "  Dat  suttinly 
is  possum  grease !" 

He  then  looked  eagerly  towards  the  bright  blazing  fire  for 
the  possum !  "  I  mus'  'et  dat  possum  in  ma  sleep,  'kase  dars 
de  bones  and  yere's  de  grease ;  I  has  no  'membrance  uv  eetin' 
dat  possum.  I  don't  'spute  eetin'  dat  possum,  but  I  has  less 
fulness  fum  eetin'  dat  possum  dan  any  possum  I  evah  et  befo' 
in  all  my  b'on  days." 

Ef  possum's  et  in  reason  dar's  no  'scuse  fo'  one  to  cry, 
Fo'  de  fattes'  possum  cotched  is  in  some  kin  to  ol'  mince  pie. 
Yo'  knows  yo'  se'f  de  trubble  dat  sich  eetin's  make  de  man 
Wat  fills  an'  crams  his  appetite  wid  ev'ry  bit  he  can. 
I  tol'  yo'  chile,  de  trubble  comes  w'en  he  lies  down  to  res'; 
Den  de  biggest,  rankest  possum  jes'  sots  down  'pon  uis  breas'. 
An'  wauks  'bout  sich  pusson  wid  a  tromp  dat  wake  de  dead, 
An'  a  dozen  yuther  possums  jest'  stomp  down  'pon  his  head. 
Sich  nonsense  he  jes'  dreaming',  kase  he  et  de  possum  fat 
Dat  wuz  sot  aside  fo'  gravy;  'Cose  yo'  dem  all  knows  dat 
Sweet  'taters  goes  wid  possum,  an'  de  gravy  it  goes  too. 
So  chile  doan'  eet  de  fattes'  part  w'atevah  else  yo'  do! 
Jes'  save  it  up  fo'  gravy,  an'  to  eet  wid  roasted  yam, 
Den  chile,  yo'  shore  kin  'joy  yo'se'f,  an'  sleep  jes'  laik  a  lamb. 

III.    Log  Cabins  and  Brick  Mansions. 

The  whole  Atlantic  coast  side  of  North  America,  when  first 
settled,  was  i  I   with  forests  of  big  timber.     From  llii* 

material  were  constructed  the  first  human  abodes,  called  log 


290  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

cabins.  They  consisted  of  two  or  three  rooms  with  a  "  lean 
to  " — shed — for  a  kitchen  room.  The  cabin  and  "  lean  to  " 
were  built  of  large  logs,  hewn  square  on  three  sides,  upper, 
lower,  and  outside.  The  more  pretentious  were  hewn  on  all 
four  sides.  At  the  four  corners  of  the  cabin,  the  logs  were 
notched  nearly  half  way  through  to  permit  fitting  evenly 
and  closely  together.  The  open  spaces  between  the  logs  were 
"  chinked  "  or  "  daubed,"  inside  and  out,  with  clay  to  make 
them  air  tight.  The  roof  was  supported  with  poles  as  rafters, 
and  was  covered  with  "  clapboards," — strips  of  straight 
grained  pine,  chestnut,  or  oak,  split  from  logs  evenly  and  thin, 
by  means  of  a  "  f row,"  a  flat  piece  of  iron  six  to  twelve  inches 
long,  and  three  inches  to  four  inches  wide,  with  a  circular 
upright  end  to  admit  a  wooden  handle  to  guide  the  frow. 
The  under  side  of  the  frow  was  made  sharp,  like  a  chisel,  so 
that  it  might  split  the  clapboard  from  the  log.  A  wooden 
maul  was  used  to  strike  the  upper  side  of  the  frow  and  force 
it  through  the  wood. 

The  clapboards  were  riven  eighteen  inches  to  twenty-four 
inches  long,  four  to  six  inches  wide,  and  one-half  to  one  inch 
in  thickness.  They  were  placed  on  the  roof  to  overlap  each 
other,  top  and  bottom,  like  shingles,  and  were  fastened  to  the 
rafters  with  pine  "weight"  poles  laid  on  top,  all  the  way 
across  the  roof,  on  each  layer  of  clapboards.  The  "  weight " 
poles  were  tied  down  to  the  projecting  ends  of  the  rafters  by 
means  of  hickory  or  oak  withes, — small  limbs  twisted  for  use 
like  ropes. 

There  were  few  nails  used  in  the  construction  of  the  early 
log  cabins.  Nails  were  hand  made  in  those  }^ears,  and  so 
scarce  as  to  induce  persons  when  deserting  their  plantations  to 
burn  their  buildings  for  the  purpose  of  getting  the  nails 
therefrom.  So  common  was  this  custom  that  in  1644  an  act 
of  the  general  assembly  was  passed  forbidding  this  practice. 
It  provided  that  those  who  left  their  buildings  standing 
should  receive  in  full  satisfaction  "  as  many  nails  as  were  ex- 


LIFE   AND    CUSTOMS  291 

pended  in  the  building,  the  number  to  be  computed  by  two 
different  men." 

The  door  was  made  from  wide  "  puncheons/'  split  from  a 
log  like  clapboards,  and  hewed  down  evenly  and  smoothly  with 
a  broad-axe.  The  pieces  comprising  the  door  were  held  to- 
gether across  top  and  bottom  by  strips  fastened  thereto  by 
wooden  pins.  The  door  was  hung  on  the  inside  of  the  cabin 
by  wooden  hinges,  and  was  fastened  by  a  wooden  "  latch  " 
also  on  the  inside.  To  the  latch  was  fastened  a  "  string " 
which  passed  to  the  outside  through  a  hole  in  the  door,  imme- 
diately above  the  latch,  where  it  hung  ready  to  be  pulled  when 
gaining  admittance.  The  synonym  for  a  hearty  welcome  was : 
"  You  will  always  find  my  latch  string  on  the  outside."  The 
pulling  of  the  latch  string  to  the  inside  upon  retiring  for  the 
night,  was  the  only  burglar  proof  arrangement  the  early  colo- 
nist had,  aside  from  the  flint  and  steel  rifle  which  hung  over 
the  door  of  every  cabin. 

Where  stones  were  not  plentiful — and  there  are  many  such 
localities  in  Tidewater  Virginia, — the  chimney  was  built  of 
"  daubin,"  or  logs  hewn  and  fitted  together,  as  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  cabin. 

The  frame  of  a  "  daubin  chimney  "  was  of  ladder  like  con- 
struction, formed  with  large  poles  for  uprights,  through  which 
holes  were  bored  at  intervals  of  a  few  inches,  for  the  rounds. 
When  these  structures  were  set  up  on  end  and  fastened  to  the 
cabin,  the  spaces  between  the  rounds  were  "  daubed  "  thickly 
inside  and  outside  with  a  mixture  of  clay  and  grass,  which, 
when  it  became  hard  and  dry,  withstood  the  heat  and  flames. 

All  chimneys  were  built  on  the  outside  of  the  cabin,  and 
like  the  old  time  tavern  chimneys,  were  frequently  extended 
the  whole  width  of  the  end  of  the  cabin.  The  log  chimney 
was  constructed  upon  the  same  plan  as  were  the  walls  of  the 
cabin,  and  was  securely  daubed  with  clay  all  the  way  up  in- 
side, and  "chinked  "  with  the  same  material  on  the  outside. 
When  the  chimney  was  building,  there  was  a  "lug  pole"  or 


292  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

"  Chimney  bar  "  of  iron  inserted  above  the  arch,  with  its  ends 
resting  in  the  chimney  sides.  To  this  was  suspended  chains, 
and  also  pot-hooks  formed  in  the  shape  of  an  S;  both  were 
used  to  hang  pots  high  above  the  fire.  There  was  also  a 
"  chimney  crane/'  fastened  to  the  back  of  the  chimney,  to 
which  were  attached  several  arms  which  could  be  moved  for- 
ward or  backward  to  hang  pots  and  skillets  upon,  and  to 
swing  them  over  the  fire  underneath  the  chimney  oar.  The 
chimney  was  usually  built  so  large  and  so  low  that  abundance 
of  light  was  admitted  through  it;  therefore,  many  of  the 
cabins  had  few,  if  any,  windows.  To  each  chimney  there 
belonged  a  "  smoke  board."  This  implement  consisted  of 
several  pieces  of  puncheons,  each  as  long  as  the  width  of  the 
chimney  top.  They  were  fastened  to  the  upper  end  of  a  pole, 
and  extended  from  the  top  down  two  or  three  feet.  The 
smoke  board  was  used  to  lean  against,  and  just  above  the  top 
of  the  chimney  on  the  outside,  to  prevent  the  wind  from  blow- 
ing down  the  chimney,  and  to  aid  in  making  the  proper 
draught  to  draw  the  smoke  up.  Experience  taught  the  house- 
keeper where  to  "lean  the  smoke  board."  Pegs  were  driven 
into  the  logs  of  the  cabin  to  form  shelves,  and  to  hang  cloth- 
ing and  other  things  upon.  Wardrobes  were  not  in  use  in  log 
cabins. 

There  were  few  cabins  built  higher  than  one  story  and  a 
loft.  The  "  loft "  was  reached  by  a  pole  ladder,  which,  when 
not  in  use,  sat  up  against  the  wall  behind  the  door.  Where 
the  family  was  large,  the  loft  was  often  used  by  the  youngsters 
of  the  family  as  a  sleeping  place  who,  upon  retiring  at  night, 
might  view  the  heavens,  and  count  the  bright  stars  between 
the  chinks  in  the  roof. 

The  loft  was  also  used,  to  hang  up  dried  "  yerbs  "  (herbs) 
such  as  catnip  for  infants'  complaints,  mullen  for  "risings," 
hops  for  earache,  hoarhound  and  burdock  for  colds,  boneset 
for  chills,  wintergreen  for  colds  and  canker,  smartweed  for 
soaking  sore  feet,  sage  for  sore  throats  and  seasoning  sausage, 


AND    CUSTOMS 


293 


thyme  for  seasoning  meats,  and  rosemary  for  seasoning  lard 
in  frying  hominy.  In  some  of  the  cabins,  cured  hog  meat, — 
hams  and  shoulders,— were  hung  from  the  rafters  in  lieu  of  a 
smoke  house. 

An  amusing  instance  of  unnecessary  fright,  resulting  from 
the  custom  of  hanging  meat  in  the  loft,  is  related  of  a  pedler 
who,  while  traveling  in  a  strange  Forest  neighborhood,  was 
overtaken  by  night,  and  applied  at  a  nearby  log  cabin  for 
shelter.  He  was  cordially  invited  by  an  old  man  and  his  wife 
to  share  the  comforts  of  their  cabin. 

When  bedtime  was  reached,  the  pedler  was  given  a  tallow 
candle  and  shown  up  the  ladder  to  the  loft,  the  only  other 
vacant  place  in  the  cabin.  He  slept  well  until  towards  day 
break,  when  he  was  alarmed  by  hearing  the  rounds  of  the 
loft  ladder  creaking,  and  while  listening  most  attentively,  he 
saw  the  head  of  the  old  man  appear  at  the  tog  of  the  ladder, 
with  a  big  butcher  knife  in  his  hand,  followed  by  the  wife 
with  a  lighted  candle  which  she  shaded  with  her  apron 
towards  the  spot  where  the  pedler's  bed  was  spread  upon  the 
floor,  casting  weird  and  dismal  shadows  throughout  the  loft. 
As  the  two  advanced  up  the  ladder,  there  was  low,  but  earnest 
whispering  between  them,  a  part  of  which  only  could  the  wide- 
awake pedler  hear : 

"John,  dear,"  whispered  the  wife,  "if  I  were  you  I 
wouldn't  do  it ;  we  have  a  plenty,  and  can  get  along  without  it ! 
Come  back,  John!"  were  the  alarming  sentences  which  the 
now  thoroughly  frightened  pedler  heard.  He  lay  perfectly 
quiet,  hardly  breathing  lest  they  might  discover  he  were 
awake.  At  this  juncture,  the  old  wife,  in  pleading  voice, 
whispered : 

"  John,  are  you  sure  the  knife  is  sharp  enough  so  that  one 
lick  will  d 

All  11 10  while  the  two  were  advancing  stealthily  towards  the 
pedler5  b<  d.  A  step  or  two  more  they  made,  when  the  pedler 
threw  of!  bia  blanket,  jumped  to  his  "pack,"  and  with  all  his 


294  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

force,  he  flung  the  pack  against  the  old  couple,  the  effect  of 
which  was  to  lay  them  both  prone  upon  the  floor  and  extin- 
guish the  candle.  In  the  inky  darkness,  he  continued  the 
fight  upon  the  old  man  until  the  old  lady  cried  out :  "  For 
God's  sake  stop ;  we  came  only  to  cut  down  a  shoulder  of  meat 
for  your  breakfast,  and  not  to  rob  or  murder  you." 

The  furniture  of  a  log  cabin  consisted  of  the  lug  pole, 
chimney  crane,  andirons,  fire  shovel,  tongs,  fire  bellows,  pot- 
rack,  pot  hooks,  hangers,  pots,  kettles,  bread  ovens,  frying 
pans,  skillets,  pewter  plates,  blue  china,  or  pewter  cups, 
wooden  and  pewter  spoons,  knives  and  forks,  wooden  dough 
trays,  noggings,  piggins  for  holding  water,  and  for  working 
butter,  china  crocks  for  milk,  cedar  water  buckets  with  long 
handled  gourds  therein,  three-legged  stools,  rush  bottom 
chairs,  table  of  pine  or  oak  formed  from  a  log  with  a  broad 
axe,  a  "  dresser "  (china  closet)  consisting  of  shelves  for 
storage  of  china  ware,  a  knife,  spoon  and  ladlebox,  spinning 
wheel,  cards  for  wool  or  cotton,  loom  for  weaving,  the  inevita- 
ble "  hair  trunk  "  which  the  colonist  brought  from  his  English 
home  stored  with  all  the  possessions  which  he  most  valued. 
This  article  was  usually  stored  under  the  bed,  and  was  the 
only  article  within  the  cabin,  or  upon  the  plantation  which 
had  lock  and  key  to  it. 

It  was  only  the  more  prosperous  of  the  early  colonists  that 
were  able  to  own  a  clock.  The  clocks,  with  their  frames,  were 
built  wide  and  high,  many  of  which  reached  to  the  ceiling  of 
the  cabin  loft.  They  were  a  much  prized  piece  of  furniture, 
and  being  constructed  entirely  by  hand,  and  formed  mainly 
from  wood,  were  therefore  very  expensive. 

In  lieu  of  clocks  many  used  sun  dials,  which  were  less  ex- 
pensive, and  during  sun  shine  were  quite  as  accurate  in  time 
keeping.  The  owner  of  a  sun  dial  was  frequently  called  upon 
for  its  loan  to  a  neighbor,  that  he  might  ascertain  and  mark 
the  several  hours  of  the  day  by  the  shadows  cast  upon  the 


life  a:nd  customs 


2d5 


threshold  of  his  cabin  door,  or  upon  the  cabin  window  sill 
which  faced  the  south. 

At  night  the  hours  were  arrived  at  by  viewing  the  stars  in 
the  bright  heavens.  The  cock  crowing  at  midnight  revealed 
to  the  superstitious  settler  whose  home  was  new,  within  the 
dense  and  dark  forest  where  yet  no  shadows  could  fall,  and 
whose  nearest  neighbors  were  the  screech  and  booby  owls,  or 
to  the  settler  upon  the  banks  of  some  shimmering  stream, 
within  the  bordering  dark  and  wierd  shadows,  that  this  was 
the  hour  in  which  ghosts  appear,  and  witches  rise  from  their 
couch  to  prepare  their  cauldron  of  evil  things  for  "hants," 
and  the  same  old  chickens,  at  break  of  day  announced  in 
clarion  tones  that  this  was  the  hour  to  again  begin  life's  toil, 
and  that  evil  spirits  must  disappear  hastily  to  whence  they 
came,  and  that  the  witch  must  cool  her  cauldron  and  bottle 
its  contents,  ere  she  is  dragged  to  the  ducking  stool  in  punish- 
ment for  her  evil  practices. 

After  the  Civil  War,  many  of  the  freedmen  embraced  the 
opportunities  offered  by  their  former  masters  to  purchase  a 
part  of  their  lands  and  make  their  homes  thereon.  The 
majority  of  these  freedmen,  for  want  of  better  means  usually 
built  log  cabins,  some  of  which  were  diminutive  in  width  and 
height.  One  of  these  freedmen  who  had  been  enabled  to  pay 
for  his  home  through  the  help  of  his  former  master,  sorrow- 
fully learned  of  the  sudden  death  of  his  benefactor,  and  hear- 
ing that  a  "vendue"  (public  auction)  of  his  old  master's 
household  effects  was  to  be  held,  determined  to  obtain  some- 
thing from  "  the  old  home  "  for  a  keepsake.  The  old  servant 
made  his  bid  on  very  many  things,  but  always  was  outbid 
until  finally  the  "  old  grandfather's  clock  "  was  knocked  down 
to  him  at  a  price  lie  was  able  to  pay.  Eeturning  thanks  to  his 
white  neighbors  for  their  generosity  in  permitting  him  to  be- 
come the  possessor  of  this  heir  loom,  he  loaded  the  clock  on 
his  ox  carl  uilli  the  n-sistance  of  some  of  his  friends.  Upon 
reaching  bis  cabin,  I  Lmoned  his  family's  aid  in  unload- 


296  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

ing  the  clock,  and  when  it  was  placed  inside  his  cabin  much 
to  his  astonishment,  he  found  the  clock  was  taller  by  two  or 
three  feet  than  the  eves  of  his  cabin.  Not  to  be  outdone,  he 
cut  a  hole  through  the  floor  of  the  loft  and  pointed  his  clock 
skyward.  Whenever  he  wanted  to  know  the  hour  of  the  day, 
he  was  forced  to  climb  the  ladder  into  the  loft,  and  there  he 
kept  his  treasured  time  piece  until  he  was  "  called  over  the 
river  n  to  join  his  beloved  master. 

Very  many  of  the  most  distinguished  and  illustrious  men 
of  America  were  born  in  log  cabins. 

"  Honor  and  fame  from  no  condition  rise 
Act  well  your  part 
For  in  that  all  the  honor  lies." 

Many  of  the  oldest  dwellings  are  built  on  points  of  land, — 
little  peninsulas, — overlooking  the  waters  of  rivers  or  creeks, 
on  either  side,  and  presenting  to  the  view  magnificent  scenery 
of  land  and  water,  intermingling  with  groves  of  green  pines, 
cedars  and  weeping  willows  on  their  banks.  These  evergreen 
trees  are  cheerful  and  pleasing  to  the  sight  at  all  seasons  of  the 
year.  In  winter  time,  when  covered  with  light  snows,  or 
heavy  frosts,  and  pendant  icicles,  they  are  veritable  gems  of 
nature's  beautiful  handiwork. 

During  the  days  of  slavery,  the  "  servants'  quarters  "  were 
within  sight  of  the  "  Great  House,"  the  owner's  residence, 
and  if  the  servants  were  many,  such  homes  at  the  beginning 
and  closing  hours  of  labor,  were  scenes  of  active  life,  while 
the  servants  were  going  to,  or  returning  from  their  several 
tasks,  either  in  the  cultivation  of  the  fields,  or  the  felling  of 
the  forest,  and  the  hauling  of  the  products  for  shipment. 
Nevertheless,  there  was  a  leisure  about  all  their  labors,  which 
was  equalled  only  in  localities  of  similar  life,  and  differed 
greatly  from  the  hurry  and  bustle  witnessed  in  the  States 
north  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line.     Nearly  all  the  old  time 


LIFE   AXD   CUSTOMS  297 

servants'  quarters  have  disappeared,  and  thus  the  dwelling 
places  of  the  former  owners  of  numerous  servants  have  lost 
their  distinguishing  feature  which  foretold  prosperity,  and 
wealth  in  the  number  of  servants. 

Throughout  Tidewater  Virginia  are  many  "  Old  Colonial 
Homes,"  handsome,  spacious  mansions,  the  majority  of  which 
were  built  during  the  century  prior  to  the  Eevolutionary  War, 
and  to  which  large  landed  estates  were  attached.  They  were 
the  birth  places,  or  homes  of  persons  illustrious  as  actors  in 
some  important  event  in  the  history  of  this  nation.  Because 
of  the  historical  associations  so  intimately  connected  with 
these  dwellings  they  deserve  a  better  fate  than  is  befalling 
some  of  them.  A  large  number  of  these  houses  are  rapidly 
falling  into  decay,  and  losing  all  semblance  of  their  former 
magnificence. 

To  name  the  colonial  mansions  of  Tidewater  "Virginia,  and 
give  such  history  of  them  as  is  worthy  of  mention  would  fill  a 
large  but  interesting  volume. 

Many  of  the  older  dwellings  are  built  of  brick  with  glazed 
ends,  a  peculiarity  of  the  manufacture  of  bricks  in  the  early 
days.  The  opinion  is  often  expressed  that  such  bricks  all 
came  from  England,  but  this  is  doubtful,  as  the  historians  of 
the  early  period  mention  the  sending  to  Virginia  by  the  Lon- 
don Company  "some  Italians,  Dutchmen,  and  others  to 
manufacture  glass,  and  brick/'  etc. 

The  first  brick  dwelling  in  America  was  built  at  James- 
town, in  1639,  for  Richard  Kempe,  Secretary  to  the  Governor. 
In  1642,  Sir  William  Berkeley  brought  with  him  instructions 
as  governor,  to  promote  tbe  building  of  brick  houses,  offering 
:'  five  hundred  acres  of  land  to  every  person  who  should  build 
a  bouse  of  brick  twenty-four  feet  long,  sixteen  feet  broad, 
with  a  cellar  to  it." 

Act  of  A  !y,  December,  1662,  made  provision  for  the 

building  of  thirty-two  brick  houses.  The  price  of  bricks  and 
wages  of  laborers  were  fixed  by  law.     Each  of  the  seventeen 


298  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

counties  of  the  colony  were  required  to  build  a  brick  house  in 
Jamestown. 

A  prominent  piece  of  furniture  in  the  old  time  dwellings 
was  the  "  tester  bedstead,"  with  bed  posts  extending  nearly  to 
the  ceiling.  The  bed-posts  were  covered  over  with  a  canopy 
of  curtains  which  extended  across  the  tops  of  the  four  posts, 
and  down  the  sides  and  ends  to  the  floor,  enclosing  the  whole 
bedstead.  It  is  related  that  a  resident  of  the  "  Forest " 
section, — the  occupant  of  a  diminutive  log  cabin, — paid  a 
visit  of  consultation  to  the  office  of  a  prominent  lawyer  in  one 
of  the  Northern  Neck  Counties,  whose  home  was  of  princely 
proportions,  and  corresponding  equipments.  As  the  Forester 
was  detained  until  late  in  the  evening,  he  was  invited  to 
"  spend  the  night."  At  the  hour  of  retiring,  he  was  escorted 
to  a  bed  chamber  in  which  was  a  "  tester  bedstead,"  the  first 
he  had  ev^r  seen.  Doffing  his  clothing,  he  prepared  himself 
to  rest,  but  upon  pushing  the  canopied  curtains  aside,  he 
found  the  bed  covered  with  a  white,  smooth  counterpane,  so 
snugly  and  neatly  tucked  under  it  on  all  sides,  and  with  the 
pillows  and  bolster  on  top  of  it,  that  he  concluded  the  coun- 
terpane was  a  new  fashioned  top  sheet,  and  that  the  curtains 
were  the  only  covering.  As  the  fire  was  burning  brightly,  he, 
nevertheless,  was  comfortably  warm,  while  on  top  of  all  the 
bed  covering,  by  tucking  the  curtains  close  to  his  body,  and  so 
he  remained  until  towards  the  morning  when  the  fire  burned 
low,  and  the  room  becoming  chilled,  he  hastily  dressed  and 
sat  shivering  over  the  embers  of  the  departed  flames,  until  a 
knock  was  heard  at  his  door  summoning  him  to  breakfast. 
At  the  meeting  of  his  host,  a  polite  inquiry  was  made  as  to 
his  rest  and  comfort  during  the  cold  night,  and  a  hope  was 
expressed  that  he  found  a  plenty  of  bed  covering.  "  Well 
Kunnell,'3  said  he,  "  thar  mout  a  been  kiverin'  a  plenty,  but 
they  wuz  too  durned  far  off  to  wrap  close.     I  neer  about  friz." 


Sunnyside,"  near  Heathville,   Va.      A  Tidewater  Virginia  Home. 


Berklej   (Harrison1     Landing.)     BirthpJaci   ol  Pn   ident  W.   II.   Harrison 


LIFE   AND   CUSTOMS  299 

IV.    Old  Virginia  Taverns. 

Before  the  Civil  War,  there  was  but  little  traffic  of  strangers 
throughout  Tidewater  Virginia,  and  consequently  few  travelers 
other  than  the  natives  whose  business  might  require  a  journey 
from  their  homes,  too  distant  to  return  in  one  day.  Should  they 
be  overtaken  by  a  storm,  or  by  night,  they,  or  any  other 
stranger,  might  ask  for  shelter,  and  be  welcomed  by  a  willing 
invitation  to  share  what  comforts  there  might  be  found  in 
any  home  throughout  that  section,  without  thought  upon  the 
part  of  the  host,  or  hostess  of  recompense  in  money,  or  other 
values. 

The  "commercial  drummer,"  the  insurance  agent,  the^ 
"  lighting  rod  man,"  the  "  patent  medicine  fakir,"  and  the 
hosts  of  the  latter  day  "  hustlers  "  of  business  enterprises  had 
not  made  their  appearance  in  that  section  of  Virginia  prior  to 
the  Civil  War.  The  Jew  peddlers  were  almost  the  only 
strangers  to  invade  that  territory,  to  offer  their  wares,  or  to 
ask  for  patronage.  The  peddlers  carried  an  assortment  of 
gewgaws,  and  cheap  trinkets  which  readily  took  the  fancy 
the  negro. 

Few  of  the  negroes  knew  that  the  Jews,  and  the  "  Children 
of  Israel "  were  of  the  same  people.  The  story  of  the 
Children  of  Israel  in  slavery  to  the  Egyptians,  and  their 
final  freedom  from  bondage,  and  their  possession  of  the  land 
of  Canaan,  was  a  story  which  deeply  interested  the  negroes. 
An  old,  pious,  negro  mammy  who  had  often  heard  tins  story, 
expressed  before  her  mistress  the  wish  to  see  some  of  the 
Children  of  Israel,  inasmuch  as  she  could  not  visit  the  Land 
of  Canaan.  To  humor  her,  the  mistress,  upon  learning  of 
the  coming  of  a  Jew  peddler  to  the  nearby  village,  told  her 
servant  she  might  pay  a  visit  there,  and  view  the  "Child  of 
Abraham."  The  servant  soon  returned,  and  indignantly  ex- 
claimed:  "Missus!  dat's  no  Chillun  o'  Israel.  Dat's  de 
same  ol'  dew  peddler  w'at  sole  me  dem  piscn,  brass  ycarrings 


300  LIFE  IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

las'  'tracted  meetin'  time.  Sicli  low  down  w'ite  man  as  dat, 
he  nevah  b'long  to  no  Lan'  o'  Cainyan." 

With  some  few  exceptions,  there  was  but  one  tavern  in  a 
county  until  after  the  Civil  War,  and  that  one  was  situated 
within  the  "  Court  House  Bounds."  From  its  earliest  his- 
tory, Virginia  has  been  famed  as  the  home  of  generous  hos- 
pitality. A  writer  about  the  year  1700,  in  referring  to  the 
scarcity  of  inns  or  ordinaries  in  Virginia,  states : 

"  No  people  entertain  their  friends  with  better  cheer  and 
welcome,  and  strangers,  and  travelers  are  here  treated  in  the 
most  free,  plentiful  and  hospitable  manner,  so  that  a  few 
inns,  or  ordinaries  on  the  road  are  sufficient." 

The  tavern  was  usually  built  long  and  narrow,  one  and  a 
half  stories  high,  with  dormer  windows,  the  roof  sloping  down 
until  it  formed  a  cover  for  the  porch  which  ran  along  the 
whole  length  of  the  house.  At  both  ends  of  the  building  were 
stone  or  brick  chimneys,  built  on  the  outside.  The  main 
body  of  a  chimney — containing  a  fire-place  within — was  ex- 
tended to  cover  the  entire  end  of  the  house.  It  was  a  puzzle 
to  the  uninstructed,  as  to  which  was  first  built — the  house  or 
the  chimneys — or  whether  the  chimneys  were  not  originally 
intended  for  a  larger  building.  The  capacious  fire-places, 
extending  the  whole  width  of  the  building,  determined  the 
wisdom  of  the  builder.  Around  these  fire-places,  gathered 
the  guests  in  the  winter  evenings  within  the  warm,  and  cheer- 
ful glows  emitted  by  the  heaps  of  bright,  blazing  logs  of  pine, 
oak,  or  hickory.  Here,  in  the  language  of  an  "  Old  Timer," 
yarns  were  "  spun  and  swapped,"  and  jokes  told,  the  latest 
news  related,  while  the  listeners  chewed  their  "  sweet  scented  " 
tobacco,  or  smoked  the  pipe. 

Tobacco  chewing,  throughout  the  country  at  large,  was  a 
much  more  common  custom,  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago,  than  at 
the  present  day.  The  "  Old  Timers  "  worked  their  jaws  upon 
a  big  wad  of  "  home  twisted  "  as  rapidly,  and  constantly  as  a 
billy  goat  chewing  upon  his  quid,  and  they  expectorated  the 


LIFE   AXD   CUSTOMS  301 

juice  of  the  weed  with  a  precision,  and  a  profusion  that  was 
a  wonder,  and  a  shock  to  those  whose  esthetic  taste  forbade 
them  to  indulge  in  the  habit  of  "  chawin'." 

Cigars  and  "  store  tobacco  "  were  not  in  use  in  early  times. 
In  those  da3Ts,  many  of  the  elderly  ladies,  as  well  as  the  men, 
smoked  the  pipe.  The  pipe  of  the  elderly  persons  was  either 
of  clay,  or  corn  cob,  and  from  its  long  usage  had  the  color  of 
an  old  meerschaum,  and  the  odors  of  a  scorching  hot  tar 
barrel.  There  was  fuel  in  abundance  to  keep  bright  fires,  as 
"  new  ground  "  was  being  constantly  added  to  the  plantation, 
the  clearing  of  which  afforded  an  ample  supply.  The  fuel,  in 
logs  of  various  lengths,  was  hauled  to  the  wood  pile  and 
stacked  up  cone-shaped,  to  protect  it  from  storms  of  snow  and 
rain.  There  was  seldom  such  a  thing  as  a  wood  shed  on  a 
plantation  before  the  Civil  War,  and  rarely  was  the  fire-wood 
chopped  into  proper  lengths  until  immediate  need  required. 
At  bed  time,  the  bright  coals  were  thickly  covered  with  ashes 
which  kept  them  alive  and  ready  for  the  morning's  fire,  which 
was  blown  into  flame  with  fire  bellows.  Fire-pans  of  iron, 
with  lid  and  handle,  were  used  to  carry  live  coals  from  one 
fire  place  to  another  about  the  house.  The  open  fire  is  now 
a  rarity,  especially  in  the  later  built  dwellings  of  the  cities. 
During  the  coming  generation,  the  "  family  fire-side  "  will  be 
but  a  fiction  of  the  past. 

An  Indian  upon  seeing  one  of  these  big  fire  places,  and 
observing  the  apparent  waste  of  flaming  logs  upon  the  fire, 
and  the  people  seated  at  a  distance  from  it,  said : 

"  Ugh  !  Injun  make  little  fire,  sit  close  to  him ;  white  man 
make  big  fire,  sit  way  off." 

The  tavern  floor  was  kept  sanded  with  white  sand  neatly 
swept  into  fanciful  curves.  Attached  to  each  tavern  was  a 
"horse  lot"  in  which  were  stalls  for  horses  and  sheds  for 
vehicles.  In  front  of  each  tavern  was  a  "horse  rack"  to 
which  the  animal  was  tethered  awaiting  oiibor  ihe  guest  or 
the  hostler.     Close  to  one  corner  of  the  tavern  was  a  post  to 


302  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

which  was  suspended  a  big  bell,  with  rope  attached,  to  sum- 
mon the  tavern  keeper  or  hostler,  or  to  announce  "  meal  time/' 
to  the  guests.  The  ringing  of  the  tavern  bell  was  notice  to 
the  whole  village  of  a  new  arrival  within  its  precincts. 

Court  day  was  the  one  busy  day  of  each  month  with  a  Tide- 
water tavern  keeper,  and  if  the  weather  was  fair,  he  was  as- 
sured of  a  goodly  attendance  at  his  table  and  "  horse  lot,"  the 
receipts  from  which  aided  him  materially  in  "  tiding  over " 
until  the  following  court,  a  month  hence.     In  the  year  1666, 
the  "  Ordinary  "  (tavern)  charges  for  caring  for  "  man  and 
beast "  were  fixed  by  law  to  be  paid  in  tobacco  as  follows : 
"A  meal  for  a  master,  15  pounds  of  tobacco. 
"A  meal  for  a  servant,  10  pounds  of  tobacco. 
"  Lodging  for  either,  5  pounds  of  tobacco. 
"Brandy,  English  spirits,  or  Virginia  dram,  per  gal.  160 
pounds  tobacco. 

"  Rum  per  gal.  100  pounds  tobacco. 
"  Cycler,  or  Perry,  per  gal.  25  pounds  tobacco." 
In  each  tavern,  there  was  a  room  where  liquors  were  sold, 
which  were  drawn  direct  from  cask,  rundlet,  or  jug,  as  called 
for.  There  was  no  display  of  decanters,  bottlers,  or  glass- 
ware, such  as  is  seen  in  the  latter  day  barroom,  nor  was  the 
liquor  "  red  liquor  " — rectified  and  ruined.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  perhaps  some  added  water  to  aid  in  keeping  up  what 
would  otherwise  be  a  "short  supply,"  the  liquors  were  sold 
pure  as  they  came  from  the  distiller.  They  consisted  mainly 
of  whiskeys,  rum,  apple  and  peach  brandies,  and  ales. 

The  most  common  method  of  purchase  was  to  call  for 
a  "Tickler."  Customers  called  for  their  liquors  in  quanti- 
ties of  either  gallons,  quarts,  pints,  or  half-pints,  which  were 
placed  in  jugs,  or  bottles,  and  after  the  purchaser  imbibed  or 
shared  with  a  friend,  the  remainder  of  the  "  tickler  "  was  set 
aside  by  the  tavern  keeper  to  be  ready  at  the  call  of  the  pur- 
chaser, as  often  as  needed  until  that  tickler  was  exhausted. 
To  "  share  the  tickler  "  with  a  friend  or  acquaintance,  is  one 


LIFE   AND   CUSTOMS  303 

form  of  old  Virginia  hospitality  which  has  long  since  ceased. 

As  a  matter  of  necessity,  every  tavern  keeper  cultivated  a 
"  bed  of  mint/'  the  fragrance  of  which  was  best  appreciated 
when  mixed  in  a  julep.  The  Virginian  usually  drank 
"  straight  licker,"  but  when  he  departed  from  this  habit,  it 
was  either  to  enjoy  his  julep,  or  to  add  a  little  water  to  the 
liquor,  and  then  it  became  "  grog." 

Drinking  was  quite  common  in  the  early  days.  It  is  stated 
that  even  ministers  of  the  gospel  took  their  drams,  often  to 
their  great  shame. 

Virginia  gave  birth  to  very  many  "  first  things,"  amongst 
them  being  the  "mint   julep."     The   Kentucky  Colonel,  a 
prodigal  son  of  old  Virginia,  when  in  his  best  humor,  may 
lay  claim  to  a  patent  on  this  famous  beverage,  but  the  evi- 
dence is  against  his  claim  as  "  first  discoverer."     It  is  related 
that  shortly  after  Virginia  consented  to  part  with  her  claims 
upon  Kentucky,  as  a  "  District  of  Virginia,"— to  enable  her 
to  become  a  state  of  the  Union— an  old  Tidewater  Virginian 
went  to  Kentucky  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  son,  who  had  settled 
there,  and  while  riding  along  the  road  on  horseback,  he  was 
overtaken  by  a  heavy  rainstorm.     He  sought  shelter  at  the 
nearest  dwelling  he  came  to,  and  as  the  storm  continued  until 
night  set  in,  his  host  prevailed  upon  him  to  spend  the  night. 
In  grateful  acknowledgement  of  the  generous  hospitality  re- 
ceived, the  Virginian  mixed  a  mint  julep  for  his  host,  and 
showed  liiin  how  to  drink  it  by  burying  his  face  in  the  fra- 
grant mint.     It  i-  said  Ike  two  sat  up  discussing  its  merits 
until  the  dawn  of  day,  by  which  hour  the  Kentuckian  had  be- 
come proficient  as  a  "  mixer."     After  a  substantial  breakfast, 
the  Virginian  departed  on  his  journey  much  to  the  regret  of 
his  host.     The  Virginian  remained  several  months  with  his 
son,  and  on  Ids  way  back  to  his  home,  stopped  at  the  gate  of 
his  former  lio-f  and  inquired  of  the  old  negro  servant  as  to  his 
master's  health. 
"Dead  Buhl  Dead!     TVas  dis  yere  way  suh!     Dat  grass 


304  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

drink  w'at  you  fix  fur  Mar's  Jack  he  wuz  mightily  pleased 
wid,  an'  he  wuz  gittin'  on  mighty  fine  wid  it,  t'well  a 
youngster  cum  'long  one  day  'fum  sum  o'  dese  yere  big  towns 
in  Virginny,  an'  he  tole  Mar's  Jack  dat  dey  all  up  in  town 
drinks  mint  juleps  wid  straws,  an'  Mar's  Jack  he  took  to 
drinkin'  hissen  wid  straws,  an'  de  folke's  all  say  dat  what 
kills  Mar's  Jack — drinkin'  wid  straws." 

A  famous  Kentucky  colonel  is  credited  with  the  following 
remark :  "  There  are  two  things  a  gentleman  never  refuses ; 
one  is  a  lady's  request,  and  the  other,  a  mint  julep." 

The  old  time  tavern  keeper  cultivated  land  more  or  less  ex- 
tensively and  raised  food  in  abundance  for  his  table.  "  Side 
dishes  "  were  an  unknown  quantity  in  the  old  time  tavern. 
A  whole  roast  pig,  turkey,  goose,  or  ham,  a  quarter  of  lamb, 
or  roast  of  beef,  were  placed  within  easy  reach  of  the  guest 
and  he  was  invited,  and  expected  to  help  himself.  The  carv- 
ing knife  and  fork  were  placed  within  reach  of  the  guest. 

Virginia  taverns  kept  no  subservient  "waiters,"  who  with 
clean  or  soiled  napkin  dangling  over  the  arm,  dance  attend- 
ance only  for  "  a  tip."  Young  negro  chaps  were  trained  to 
"brush  away  the  blue  tail  fly,"  and  hand  such  dishes  of  food 
as  might  be  beyond  the  reach  of  the  guest.  These  duties  they 
quietly  performed,  usually  to  the  satisfaction  of  all,  provided 
they  did  not  fall  asleep  at  their  task.  Old  time  servants 
would  go  to  sleep  with  a  suddenness  that  was  appalling  to  one 
not  acquainted  with  their  habits.  The  habit  of  falling  asleep 
was  often  indulged  in  by  them,  regardless  of  either  time,  occa- 
tion,  or  place. 

V.    "  Sto'  Keepin'  "  in  Tidewater  Virginia. 

For  several  years  after  the  first  settlement  was  made,  there 
was  but  one  store  in  the  whole  of  the  vast  territory  then 
known  as  Virginia.  This  was  kept  by  the  cape  merchant 
(treasurer),  and  from  it  the  whole  colony  was  supplied.  Vil- 
lage and  cross  roads  stores  originated  long  after  counties  were 


LIFE  AND   CUSTOMS  305 

formed  and  thickly  populated.  There  was  little  necessity  for 
stores  in  the  early  years  of  Virginia's  history,  as  the  clothing 
and  other  articles  of  wear,  and  many  utensils  also,  were  manu- 
factured at  the  homes  of  the  settlers.  Such  other  things  as 
they  needed,  and  were  unahle  to  make  at  home,  they  were 
supplied  with  direct  from  Europe,  else  they  managed  to  get 
along  without  them.  The  early  inhabitants  were  necessarily 
resourceful,  handy,  and  self-denying. 

In  1810,  the  assistant  marshals  who  took  the  United  States 
population  census  were  required  by  law  to  take  an  account  of 
the  several  manufacturing  establishments  within  their  several 
divisions.  As  there  was  no  formal  schedule  prescribed,  each 
one  made  his  reports  in  his  own  way.  These  reports  are 
interesting  reading  as  showing  the  condition  of  the  people  at 
that  late  day — 203  years  after  the  first  settlement-  at  James- 
town. One  of  the  Assistant  Marshals  reports  as  follows: 
"  With  few  exceptions  every  household  employs  a  common 
weaving  loom,  and  almost  without  exception  every  family  tans 
their  own  leal  her.  No  machines  of  a  peculiar  kind  are  used 
or  belongs  in  the  county.  The  materials  for  clothing  are 
raised  and  consumed  by  its  inhabitants.  The  quantity  as 
near  as  may  be  is  twenty-six  yards  for  each  person.  The 
weaving  with  few  exceptions  is  performed  by  females.  There 
are  about  three  female  weavers  for  every  loom." 

Another  assistant  marshal  reports  on  a  whiskey  distillery  as 
follows :  "  This  establishment  is  of  a  late  invention  and  a 
con  '  le  curiosity  which  when  in  full  operation  manu- 

tures  50  or  60  gals,  of  whiskey  per  day.  The  demand  for 
its  manufacture  is  invariably  great,  consequently  the  sale 
groat.     Sold  E  il." 

Tlif  great  ires"  of  the  ciiies  must  have 

had  11:  ption  from  a  view  of  a  well  stocked  Yir- 

ia  counl  1  upon  some  important  navigable 

am,   where   tbc  i  an,   timberman,   and 

farmer  resorted  for  th<  Lr  supplies.     A  well  stocked  country 

20 


306  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

store  must  keep  everything  from  a  needle  to  a  crowbar,  from 
a  piece  of  ribbon  to  a  counterpane,  from  a  spool  of  thread  to  a 
schooner's  hawser,  from  a  necktie  to  a  suit  of  clothes,  from  a 
tin  cup  to  a  set  of  furniture,  from  a  hame  string  to  a  set  of 
buggy  harness.  Whatever  is  called  for  and  is  not  in  stock, 
the  merchant  will  obligingly  offer  something  else,  which  may 
be  a  good  substitute — for  your  money.  A  young  negro  hus- 
band failing  to  find  a  pair  of  shoes  for  his  young  son  may  find 
a  substitute  in  jewsharps  and  gingercakes. 

The  storekeeper  is  an  obliging  man,  when  a  customer  from 
a  distance  visits  his  store.  Should  the  visitor  be  an  aged 
lady,  he  will  invite  her  to  a  seat  and  inquire  about  her  health, 
and  that  of  her  family — for  he  knows  all  about  her  usually,  as 
be  does  of  all  his  customers.  Life  in  that  section  is  like  an 
"  open  book."  Everybody  knows  everybody  else  "  that's  worth 
knowing,"  and  the  knowledge  they  have  of  one  another  is  not 
obtained  by  inquisitive  intrusion  into  one  another's  affairs. 
They  and  their  forefathers  have  lived  and  mingled  together 
in  all  the  affairs  of  life  so  frequently  and  intimately  that 
there  could  be  no  concealment  of  a  "  character  "  such  as  the 
noted  "  Dr.  Jekyl  and  Mr.  Hyde."  It  is  both  interesting  and 
astonishing  to  hear  the  geneaology  of  families  rehearsed  with 
perfect  knowledge  by  those  living  in  far  distant  counties. 

If  the  old  lady  is  "  given  to  talk  "  she  will  give  to  the  store- 
keeper a  recital  of  all  her  troubles  before  she  intimates  her 
desire  to  trade.  The  storekeeper  will  listen  attentively,  for- 
getting at  the  time  that  he  has  troubles  of  his  own,  a  few  of 
which  will  develop  when  the  old  lady  calls  for  many  of  the 
articles  he  is  "  out  of,"  and  of  which  he  cannot  convince  her 
he  has  good  substitutes. 

Virginia  folks  are  generally  easy  to  suit,  and  if  they  can- 
not get  what  they  call  for,  they  will  nevertheless  often  make 
purchases  to  the  extent  of  the  means  which  they  carry  for  the 
occasion.  If  a  customer  calls  for  a  pair  of  long  shoe  strings, 
and  the  storekeeper  is  "  out "  of  long  shoe  strings,  he  may  sell 


ASD    CI 


tkometMng instead, and ti  '   ;-t  a  lal 

,  thing — shoes,  bat 
pax,  ■  upon  by  "  w  the 

parents  oi  ft  at  home" 

of  a  k  loons  will  "try 

fit"  of  will  '  a ;'  the 

Bize  of  tretehed 

leg  of  the  garment, 
and   will  at  last   "reckon  'less  t). 

St  is  not  of  great 

•  too  short  for  Jim  "  they  "  will 

n,"  and  Jii  lit  until  "  Pap '"'  goes  again  to  the 

vilh  e  kind  ts  that  the 

—  r  old  3  ould  accompany  Pap,  and  "  get  a 

fit.*'     If  Jim  does  not  get  a  fit  at  the  store,  his  "  sweetheart " 

wil  her  Jim  in  the  i 

"rig  r  "put  upon  him"*  in 

or  and  whi  if." 

p  sto' '"  in  Virginia  than  it  is 

to  ploi  n  on  a  hot  July  day,  or  to  chop  cord  wood  on  a 

in  the  loi  ods,  and  it  is  an  especially 

re  in  tl  section  where  the  daily 

1  far  b  'jt  from  a  rail- 

I  that  "  1  of  ha 

>re  have  ahundance  of  time.     The 
rack  before  he  . 
-1st  him  in  the  feed- 
box,  and  may  unhitch  one 
band,  and  "shove  the  bu| 
• 

of  trading  until  after  the 
limite  1 1.     The  d 

aid  find  a 
!  wood  from  one 
from  a- 


308  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

lady  knitters  might  barter  the  products  of  their  busy  fingers — 
mittens,  socks,  and  neck  comforts — for  Sunday  "  poke  "  bon- 
nets and  hoop  skirts  for  their  daughters.  A  lady  attired  in 
an  old  fashioned  full  hoop  skirt  which  was  in  fashion  "  bef o' 
an'  endurin'  uv  de  wah,"  was  approachable  only  at  the  risk  of 
upsetting  her  whole  apparel. 

Whenever  one  side  of  the  old  fashioned  hoop  skirt  came  in 
contact  with  an  object  of  greater  resistance  the  opposite  side 
tilted  skyward;  and  when  the  wearer  of  this  garment  was 
about  to  be  seated  she  was  forced  to  fold  the  rear  of  the  skirt 
nearly  to  her  waist,  else  when  she  sat  down  the  front  of  the 
garment  would  have  tilted  to  an  angle  sufficiently  high  as  to 
have  exposed  to  view  much  of  her  underwear. 

Much  of  the  business  of  a  Forest  store  is  yet  conducted  in 
"barter" — the  customer  exchanging  chickens  and  eggs,  and 
other  small  products  for  such  commodities  as  may  be  needed, 
or  that  the  storekeeper  may  have  on  hand. 

During  the  first  few  years  after  the  Civil  War,  the  custom 
of  bartering,  or  buying  and  selling,  was  new  to  the  emanci- 
pated negro.  Many  of  the  older  ones  were  industrious  and 
successful  enough  to  obtain  homes  of  their  own,  or  to  rent 
land  on  shares,  and  thus  become  possessed  of  their  own 
chickens,  hogs,  corn,  and  other  products.  These  they  carried 
to  the  nearby  stores,  and  after  their  value  was  agreed  upon, 
they  exchanged — bartered  them — with  the  merchant  for  his 
goods.  As  the  negro  was  usually  totally  illiterate,  and  inno- 
cently ignorant  of  arithmetic,  it  was  a  task  beyond  his  skill 
to  keep  a  tally  of  "  how  he  stood "  after  each  purchase. 
Toward  the  ending  of  his  bargaining,  he  might  call  for  an 
article  which  greatly  exceeded  the  "balance  due"  him,  and 
upon  being  informed  of  his  mistake,  would  generally  "  right 
himself,"  and  clear  up  his  account  by  calling  for  the  balance 
in  cheese  and  crackers,  or  ginger  cakes  and  sardines. 

Cheese  and  crackers  were  universal  favorites  with  the  many, 
and  the  "  ranker "  the  cheese  the  greater  the  demand. 
Usually  the  business  of  the  Forest  storekeeper  does  not  war- 


LIFE   AXD   CUSTOMS  301) 

rant  the  help  of  a  clerk,  and  when  the  storekeeper  is  "  pushed 
with  business  "  he  will  call  upon  some  one  of  his  customers  to 
"  lend  a  hand.''  During  a  "  big  rush  of  business  "  at  a  cer- 
tain one  of  these  stores,  the  merchant  was  assisted  by  a 
willing,  but  "green  one,"  who  was  given  charge  of  the 
cracker  barrel  and  the  cheese  box,  but  unfortunately  the 
cheese  box,  and  the  "  patent  axle  grease "  box  were  in 
close  proximity,  and  in  a  dark  corner  of  the  candle 
lighted  storehouse.  A  negro  called  for  the  balance  due  him, 
in  cheese  and  crackers,  and  after  being  served,  he  seated  him- 
self upon  a  barrel  head,  and  began  his  repast.  After  he  had 
finished  his  pound  of  crackers  and  a  pound  of  cheese,  it  was 
discovered  by  the  merchant  that  the  "green  helper"  had 
given  axle  greese  instead  of  cheese  to  the  negro,  who  upon 
being  asked  how  he  liked  the  cheese,  smacked  his  lips,  and  re- 
plied :  "  I  'spect  Boss,  yo'  mus'  a  had  dat  cheese  on  han'  a 
right  smaht  while ;  it's  a  little  rankish." 

The  Village  store,  and  also  the  cross  roads  store  in  a 
thickly  settled  section,  are  popular  resorts  in  the  evenings  for 
young  and  old.  As  they  assemble,  they  occupy  the  stools, 
benches,  nail  kegs,  barrel  heads,  and  every  other  available 
article  which  will  afford  a  seat,  excepting  the  floor.  The 
"  late  comers  "  seat  themselves  upon  the  counter,  and  then 
the  evening's  session  begins  by  discussions  of  "  neighborhood 
happening.?,"  and  subjects  of  important  interest,  etc.,  and 
winds  up  with  laughable  yarns  by  some  local  wit.  In  the 
meantime,  the  "  sto'  keeper  "  is  complacently  located  behind 
his  counter,  propped  up  on  a  cracker,  or  sugar  barrel,  enjoy- 
ing the  "  session,"  which  is  uninterrupted  by  "  sordid  traffic  " 
until  near  "  bed  time,"  when  there  arc  sudden  calls  for  "  sto' 
tobacco,"  sugar,  coffee,  and  matches.  Tims  the  Tidewater 
Virginia  storekeeper  winds  up  his  busy  days.  The  writer  is 
indebted  to  these  "nightly  sessions"  for  much  information 
and  amusement. 

The  store  of  a  vil  and  prominent  cross  roads  section, 

are  the  equivalents  of  the  city  social  club  house. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
Miscellaneous. 


There  are  many  other  things  about  old  Virginia  worthy  of 
narrative,  and  in  this  chapter  the  writer  has  presumed  upon 
the  reader  to  give  in  a  miscellaneous  way  a  number  of  matters, 
in  which  he  has  become  interested. 

I.    Virginia  Financiering. 

The  credit  system  in  America  originated  in  Virginia.  In 
the  early  years  of  the  Colony  there  was  no  money  in  cir- 
culation. Tobacco  was  the  staple  crop,  the  standard  of 
values  and  the  circulation  medium,  as  well  as  the  main 
article  of  export,  for  the  planters.  It  became  a  necessity 
for  the  planter  to  seek  credits  for  his  pressing  needs  until 
the  harvesting  of  his  tobacco. 

This  product  was  bulky  and  inconvenient  to  carry  from 
place  to  place  as  a  medium  of  exchange.  Therefore,  the 
Colonial  Government  authorized  tobacco  warehouses,  called 
"rolling  houses,"  from  the  method  of  rolling  the  tobacco 
along  the  road  in  hogsheads  to  the  shipping  point. 

In  the  early  years  of  the  colony,  the  public  highways  of 
Tidewater  Virginia  were  almost  impassable  for  heavily  laden 
vehicles.  The  planters  therefore,  in  order  to  get  their  tobacco 
to  the  shipping  point,  prepared  their  hogsheads,  or  casks,  for 
rolling  by  driving  a  long  wooden  spike  into  the  center  of  each 
end  of  the  cask,  a  part  of  which  projected  beyond  to  serve  as 
axletree.  A  split  sapling  was  fitted  for  shafts  and  extended 
to  rear  of  cask ;  the  ends  of  the  sapling  shafts  were  there  con- 
nected with  a  hickory  withe ;  a  few  slabs  were  nailed  to  these, 

[310] 


MISCELLANEOUS  311 

in  front  of  the  cask,  forming  a  foot  board  or  box,  in  which 
were  stored  for  the  journey,  a  middling  or  two  of  meat,  a 
bag  of  meal,  a  frying  pan,  a  hoe,  an  axe,  and  a  blanket  to 
shelter  the  driver  at  night,  and  fodder  and  corn  for  the  ani- 
mals. 

If  the  distance  to  market  was  moderate,  the  cask  was  rolled 
on  its  hoops,  which  were  stout  and  numerous,  but  if  fifty  or 
more  miles,  rough  felloes  were  spiked  to  each  end  to 
strengthen  it. 

There  were  men  who  engaged  solely  in  this  business.  They 
traveled  in  parties  and  assisted  each  other  on  the  journey. 
They  were  sometimes  engaged  one  or  two  weeks  in  making 
the  return  trip.  At  night  fall,  they  kindled  a  fire  in  the 
woods  by  the  road  side,  baked  a  hoe  cake,  fried  some  bacon, 
fed  their  team,  and  rolled  their  blanket  around  them  and 
slept,  by  the  fire  near  their  cask.  The  "  tobacco  rollers  " 
were  a  rough  set  of  men  generally. 

A  furnace  stood  near  each  warehouse,  and  tobacco  unfit  for 
export  was  burned  there  in  accordance  with  law  which  for- 
bade the  sale  of  poor  tobacco. 

These  rolling  houses  were  in  charge  of  government  in- 
spectors who  weighed,  stored  and  sold  the  tobacco,  and  after 
the  public  dues  were  deducted,  the  balance  was  delivered  to 
the  producer. 

Acts  were  passed  providing  that  the  inspectors  of  the  ware- 
houses should  be  obliged  to  deliver  promissory  notes  for  the 
full  quantity  of  tobacco  received  by  them  "which  notes  shall 
be  and  are  hereby  declared  to  be  current  and  paiblc  in  all 
tobacco  pahnents  whatsoever,  acording  to  the  species  ex- 
pressed in  the  note  *  *  and  shall  be  transferred  from  one  to 
another  in  all  such  paiments,  and  shall  be  paid  and  satisfied 
by  the  inspector  who  the  same  upon  demand."     It  was 

further  provided  that  such  notes  could  be  renewed,  and  to 
cone  I  hem  was  made  a  felony.     If  the  notes  were  re- 


312  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

newed  and  the  fees  paid,  the  tohacco  was  sold  and  the  balance 
of  the  proceeds  after  collecting  fees,  was  turned  over  to  the 
last  holder  on  demand. 

The  fault  in  this  system  was  the  uncertainty  and  perish- 
ableness  of  its  basis,  if  the  tobacco  spoiled  or  deteriorated  in 
quality  or  quantity.  Later  acts  were  passed  to  guard  against 
these  conditions,  in  which  it  was  provided  that  no  "  crop 
note  "  older  than  eighteen  months  should  be  legal  tender. 

In  1633,  an  attempt  was  made,  at  the  instance  of  the  for- 
eign merchants,  to  force  the  colonists  to  settle  their  debts  in 
money  and  not  in  tobacco,  and  for  this  purpose  an  act  of 
Assembly  was  passed  with  the  following  preamble: 
"Whereas  it  hath  been  the  usual  custom  of  merchants  and 
others  dealing  intermutually  in  this  colony,  to  make  all  bar- 
gains, and  contracts,  and  to  keep  all  accounts  in  tobacco,  and 
not  in  money  "  *  *.  It  then  goes  on  to  enact  that  in  future 
they  should  be  kept  in  money,  etc.  But  it  was  found  so  in- 
convenient to  represent  value  by  an  arbitrary  standard,  the 
representative  of  which  did  not  exist  in  the  colony,  that 
another  act  was  passed  in  January,  1641,  declaring  that: — 
"  Whereas  many  and  great  inconveniences  do  daily  arise  by 
dealing  for  money,  Be  it  enacted  and  confirmed  by  the 
authority  of  this  present  Grand  Assembly,  that  all  money 
debts  made  since  the  26th  day  of  March,  1642,  or  which  here- 
after shall  be  made,  shall  not  be  pleadable  or  recoverable  in 
any  court  of  justice  under  this  government." 

An  exception  was  made  in  1643  in  favor  of  debts  contracted 
for  horses  or  sheep,  but  money  debts  generally  were  not  made 
recoverable  again  until  1656. 

For  the  whole  Colonial  period  there  were  no  banks.  The 
"  Bank  of  Alexandria/'  in  Alexandria  City,  was  the  first  bank 
chartered  in  Virginia  by  Act  of  Assembly,  November  23, 
1792. 

The  first  organized  bank  in  the  United  States,  and  the  first 


MISCELLANEOUS  313 

one  which  had  any  direct  relation  to  the  Government  of  the 
United  States,  commenced  operation  on  January  7,  1782. 
It  had  its  origin  as  a  banking  company  without  a  charter,  in 
a  meeting  of  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  on  June  17,  1780,  at 
which  it  was  resolved  to  open  a  security  subscription  of 
300,000  pounds,  the  intention  being  to  supply  the  army 
which  was  at  that  time  destitute  of  the  common  necessaries 
of  life,  and  therefore  was  on  the  verge  of  mutiny. 

It  was  granted  a  charter  by  Congress,  May  26,  1781, 
under  the  name  of  the  Bank  of  North  America.  It  also 
accepted  a  charter  from  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  whicn 
was  renewed  from  time  to  time  until  December  3,  1864,  when 
it  became  a  National  Bank. 

The  second  bank  of  the  United  States  was  chartered  by 
Congress,  April  10,  1816,  limited  to  twenty  years,  expiring 
March  3,  1836. 

Prior  to  the  chartering  of  the  National  Banks,  during  the 
Civil  War,  the  nation  relied  mainly  upon  the  issue  of  State 
bank  notes  for  the  circulating  medium  of  exchange,  together 
with  the  small  amount  of  gold  and  silver  coins,  much  of  which 
was  of  foreign  coinage.  In  the  year  1860,  the  money  in  cir- 
culation was  $13.85  per  capita.  In  the  year  1905,  it  was 
$31.08  per  capita. 

Great  distress  resulted  from  the  floods  of  unchartered  bank 
currency  throughout  the  nation  from  1812  to  1820,  and  in  later 
years  the  chartering  of  banks,  especially  in  the  West,  author- 
izing the  issue  of  circulating  notes  without  security  and  in 
■ss  of  capital  was  the  cause  of  much  trouble.  The  Gov- 
ernor of  I  in  liana,  referring  to  such  banks — known  as  "Wild 
Cat " — said  in  his  message  in  the  year  1853,  "  The  specula- 
tor comes  to  [ndianapolis  with  a  bundle  of  hank  notes  in  one 
hand  and  tin-  in  the  other;  in  twenty-four  hours  lie  is 

on  his  way  to  some  distant  point  of  the  Union  to  circulate 
what  he  denominates  a  legal  currency  authorized  by  the  legis- 


314  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

lature  of  Indiana.  He  has  nominally  located  his  bank  in 
some  remote  part  of  the  State,  difficult  of  access,  where  he 
knows  no  banking  facilities  are  required,  and  intends  hie: 
notes  shall  go  into  the  hands  of  persons  who  will  have  no 
means  of  demanding  their  redemption." 

Much  of  the  money  of  that  period  was  of  such  doubtful 
value  that  before  being  accepted  in  payment,  it  was  subject 
to  a  discount  of  greater  or  lesser  sum,  which  was  graduated 
by  the  reputation  of  the  bank  of  issue.  The  discount  was 
especially  large  when  the  note  was  exchanged  in  a  State 
other  than  that  in  which  it  was  first  issued. 

These  financial  conditions  gave  rise  to  "  note  shavers,"  and 
"  money  brokers."  The  former  conducted  business  mainly 
in  the  rural  sections,  and  the  latter  were  found  in  the  cities, 
and  big  towns  throughout  the  United  States,  where  they  kept 
"  open  shop,"  with  a  display  of  bank  notes  and  coin  in  their 
show  windows,  like  jewelry  shops  of  the  present  day,  ready  to 
exchange  one  State  money  for  another — always  for  pay. 

The  necessity  of  seeking  credits  during  the  early  years  of  the 
colony  of  Virginia  became  the  privilege  and  custom  followed 
by  many  Virginia  gentlemen  up  to  the  close  of  the  Civil  War. 
Court  day  was  therefore  a  busy  day  with  the  "  Note  Shavers ;" 
a  class  of  men  whose  business  it  was  to  loan  money, 
and  to  trade  in  financial  paper  of  every  description.  They 
were  shrewdly  informed  as  to  the  ability  of  every  "man  of 
note  "  in  their  section,  and  could  determine  at  a  moment's 
notice  the  discount  or  premium  at  which  the  man's  paper 
promises  should  be  exchanged  or  received.  The  planters' 
notes  passed  from  hand  to  hand  in  their  own  or  the  adjoining 
counties  in  payment  of  other  debts,  and  were  sometimes 
accepted,  through  the  local  merchants,  in  payment  of  their 
purchases  in  the  nearby  cities.  The  notes  of  a  well-to-do 
planter — the  owner  of  extensive  lands  and  numerous  ser- 
vants— were  as  good,  and  in  many  cases  were  prefered  to 


MISCELLANEOUS  315 

those  of  many  of  the  bank  notes  then  in  circulation.  The 
people  were  usually  slow  in  making  final  settlements,  many 
of  whom  renewed  their  promises  from  time  to  time  until 
their  death.  This  condition  gave  rise  to  a  class  of  officers — 
Commissioners — who  thrived  by  the  business  of  settling  up 
such  estates. 

Money  was  never  the  idol  for  the  worship  of  Virginian?. 
While  they  recognized  its  convenience,  to  a  certain  extent, 
they  also  recognized  the  fact,  through  a  long  experience,  that 
they  could  live  and  thrive  without  an  abundance  of  this  com- 
modity. The  owners  of  lands  and  servants  procured  all  the 
necessaries,  and  the  luxuries  of  food,  which  the  soil,  and  the 
adjacent  waters,  could  supply,  and  to  that  extent  they  were 
self-sustaining  and  independent. 

These  people  entertain  no  greedy  anxiety  to  pile  up  dollars 
at  the  expense  of  their  conscience,  by  sharp  practices  upon 
their  fellow  man,  nor  even  at  the  sacrifice  of  great  self-denial 
to  their  own  needy  comforts. 

A  full  corn  crib,  wheat  bin  and  meat  house,  and  enough 
goodly  shaped  stacks  of  blade  fodder,  to  last  until  "grazing 
time,"  insures  the  thrifty  owners  an  independence,  and  ease 
of  conscience,  which  the  millionaire  possessor  of  ill  gotten 
gains  cannot  experience,  because  these  are  the  fruits  of  honest 
toil  which  none  but  the  holders  thereof  have  just  claims  upon. 

"Our  portion  is  not  large,  indeed; 
But  then  how  little  do  we  need! 
For  nature's  calls  are  few: 
In  this  the  art  of  living  lies, 

To  want  no  more  than  may  suffice, 
And  make  that  little  do." 

Vp  to  the  period  of  the  general  introduction  of  machinery 
for  the   weaving  ami    manufacture  of  cloth,  and  for  many 
thereafter,  "homespun"  goods  supplied  the  wauls  of 
their  household. 


316  LIFE  IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

Excepting  where  the  planter  was  improvident,  or  a  great 
spendthrift,  the  greater  amount  of  indebtedness  was  created 
for  additional  lands  and  servants. 

Frequently  the  lands  were  tilled  until  they  were  no  longer 
productive ;  they  were  then  "  turned  out,"  and  became  "  old 
fields,"  to  replenish  through  years  of  "  rest,"  while  growing 
timber,  after  which  they  were  again  tilled.  Thus  it  was  that 
more  land  was  needed  than  was  cultivated  during  a  season. 
Owing  to  a  better  system  of  soil  cultivation,  together  with  the 
many  new  industries  that  have  been  introduced  since  the  Civil 
War,  the  "  note  shavers' "  occupation  is  now  a  lost  art  in  that 
section. 

There  is  now  established  throughout  the  rural  sections  a 
system  of  private  banks,  known  as  the  "  Mumford  Banking 
Co."  Its  stock  is  distributed  throughout  the  localities  of  its 
several  banks  which  are  situated  at  the  Court  House  villages, 
and  the  larger  towns  of  Tidewater  Virginia. 

Until  within  the  last  two  or  three  decades,  there  was  not  a 
bank,  postal  money,  or  registry  office,  or  express  office  within 
the  whole  section  of  rural  tidewater. 

Prior  to  the  establishment  of  these  conveniences,  the  mer- 
chants and  others  were  forced  to  depend  upon  the  generosity 
of  neighbors,  who  upon  visiting  a  city  were  burdened  with 
the  money  and  messages  of  a  neighborhood. 

The  greatest  financial  struggle  which  the  people  of  Vir- 
ginia have  experienced  within  a  half  century  was  directly 
after  the  Civil  War.  Much  of  the  indebtedness  during  the 
four  years  of  war,  was  in  Confederate  money,  and  when  the 
war  closed,  with  a  repudiation  of  that  currency,  it  left  the 
debtor  and  the  creditor  in  doubt  as  to  how  a  settlement  should 
be  had.  For  this  purpose,  a  "  stay  law  "  was  enacted,  which 
gave  additional  time  for  settlement. 

The  rapid  decline  of  this  money  is  humorously  illustrated 
in  a  story  told  of  a  Confederate  soldier  who  was  going  to  his 


MISCELLANEOUS  317 

home  on  a  furlough,  during  the  last  year  of  the  war,  and 
while  stopping  at  a  village  horse  trough  to  water  his  horse, 
he  was  offered  $3,000  for  the  animal.  "  Three  thousand  dol- 
lars/' replied  the  soldier.  "  "Why  man,  I  just  now  paid  the 
nigger  hostler  $1,000  for  currying  him." 

President  Davis  in  his  message  of  March  11,  1865,  refers  to 
the  exorbitant  prices  charged  for  food  for  the  army, — "  $50 
a  bushel  for  corn,  $700  a  barrel  for  flour." 
f 

II.    The  Sufferings  of  the  Civil  "War;  Some  War 

Poetry. 

Gettsyburg  was  the  greatest  battle  of  the  war ;  Antietam  the 
bloodiest.  "Wherever  the  two  armies  alternated  in  the  posses- 
sion of  a  battle  ground,  the  wounded  were  necessarily 
neglected,  and  thus  it  was  that  thousands  died  whose  lives 
could  have  been  saved  by  slight  attention,  which  was  impos- 
sible to  render  at  the  time  of  need. 

A  battle  field,  after  severe  fighting,  presented  sights  too 
horrible  for  the  human  eye.  Upon  these  fields  could  be  seen 
God's  own  image,  torn  limb  from  limb,  and  scattered  like 
chaff  before  the  wind,  or  found  drenched  in  pools  of  the 
heart's  blood,  gory,  ghastly,  and  sickening  to  the  eye  and  the 
heart. 

Major  General  Darius  M.  Couch,  a  Federal  officer  of  the 
Civil  War,  in  "  Battles  and  Leaders,"  makes  the  following 
statement  concerning  the  suffering  and  frightful  slaughter, 
touching  on  the  incident  of  the  assault  on  Marye's  Heights, 
battle  of  Fredericksburg,  February  14,  1862:  "The  night 
bitter  cold  and  a  fearful  one  for  the  front  line  hugging 
the  hollows  in  the  ground,  and  for  the  wounded  who  could 
not  be  reached.  It  was  a  night  of  dreadful  suffering.  Many 
died  of  wounds  and  exposure,  and  as  fast  as  men  died,  they 
stiffened  in  the  wintry  air,  and  on  the  front  line  were  rolled 


318  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

forward  for  protection  to  the  living.  Frozen  men  were  placed 
for  dumb  sentries." 

Brigadier-General  John  B.  Imboden,  of  the  Confederate 
Army,  makes  the  following  statement  respecting  the  moving 
of  the  wounded  from  Gettysburg  back  to  Virginia : 

"  The  column  moved  rapidly,  considering  the  rough  roads 
and  darkness,  and  from  almost  every  wagon  for  many  miles 
issued  heart  rending  wails  of  agony.  For  four  hours,  I  hur- 
ried forward  on  my  way  to  the  front,  and  in  all  that  time  I 
was  never  out  of  hearing  of  the  groans  and  cries  of  the 
wounded  and  dying.  Scarcely  one  in  a  hundred  had  received 
adequate  surgical  aid,  owing  to  the  demands  on  the  hard 
working  surgeons  from  still  worse  cases  that  had  to  be  left  be- 
hind. Many  of  the  wounded  in  the  wagons  had  been  without 
food  for  thirty-six  hours.  Their  torn  and  bloody  clothing, 
matted  and  hardened,  was  rasping  the  tender  inflamed,  and 
still  oozing  wounds.  Very  few  of  the  wagons  had  even  a 
layer  of  straw  in  them,  and  all  were  without  springs.  The 
road  was  rough  and  rocky  from  heavy  washings  of  the  pre- 
ceding day.  The  jolting  was  enough  to  have  killed  strong 
men,  if  long  exposed  to  it.  From  every  wagon  as  the  teams 
trotted  on,  urged  by  whip  and  shout,  came  such  cries  and 
shrieks  as  these : 

'  Stop.  Oh,  for  God's  sake  stop  just  one  minute ;  take  me 
out  and  leave  me  to  die  on  the  roadside/ 

'  I  am  dying.  I  am  dying.  My  poor  wife,  my  dear  chil- 
dren, what  will  become  of  you  ?' 

"  Some  were  simply  moaning ;  some  were  praying ;  and 
others  uttering  the  most  fearful  oaths  and  execrations  that 
despair  and  agony  could  bring  from  them,  while  a  majority, 
with  stoicism  sustained  by  blind  devotion  to  the  cause  they 
fought  for,  endured  without  complaint  unspeakable  tortures, 
and  even  spoke  words  of  cheer  and  comfort  to  their  unhappy 
comrades  of  less  will  and  more  acute  nerves.  Occasionally 
a  wagon  would  be  passed  from  which  only  low,  deep  moans 


ci    o\    General   1\.    I'..  Lee,    Richmond,   Va. 

Now 


MISCELLANEOUS  319 

could  be  heard.  Xo  help  could  be  rendered  to  any  one  of  the 
sufferers.  Xo  heed  could  be  given  to  any  of  their  appeals. 
Mercy  and  duty  to  the  many  forbade  the  loss  of  a  moment  in 
the  vain  effort  then  and  there  to  comply  with  the  prayers  of 
the  few.  On,  on,  we  must  move  on.  The  storm  continued 
and  the  darkness  was  appalling.  There  was  no  time  even  to 
fill  a  canteen  with  water  for  a  dying  man;  for,  except  the 
drivers  and  the  guards,  all  were  wounded  and  utterly  helpless 
in  that  vast  procession  of  misery.  During  this  one  night  I 
realized  more  of  the  horrors  of  war  than  I  had  in  all  of  the 
two  preceding  years." 

The  last  volley  of  the  war  was  fired  about  sunset,  on  May 
13,  1865,  at  the  battle  of  Palmetto  Ranche,  between  White's 
Rancbe  and  the  Boca  Chica  Strait,  Texas,  just  ten  days  short 
of  four  years  since  the  killing  of  Ellsworth  and  Jackson  at 
Alexandria,  Virginia.  On  April  2,  1866,  President  Johnson 
issued  a  proclamation  declaring  the  Civil  War  to  be  at  an  end. 

The  Civil  War  virtually  ended  when  Lee  and  Grant  met 
at  2  o'clock  P.  M.,  on  Palm  Sunday,  April  9,  1865,  at  Wilmer 
McLean's  dwelling,  in  Appomattox,  Virginia,  and  agreed 
that  the  former  war  horses  of  the  Confederates  should  there- 
after be  hitched  to  the  plow  instead  of  to  the  caisson. 

During  the  whole  of  the  war,  the  excitement  was  intense 
throughout  Ibe  whole  country,  and  those  only  whose  hearts 
were  cold  and  selfish  could  refrain  from  taking  sides  with  one 
or  the  other  parties  to  this  great  conflict  of  arms.  All  true 
Americans,  North  and  South,  are  proud  of  the  valor  and 
heroism  displayed  by  both  sides  in  that  mighty  struggle  for 
a  principle  as  each  viewed  it  from  their  own  standpoint. 

"Your  flag  and  my  flag  and  how  it  flies  to-day, 
In  your  land  and  my  land  and  half  a  world  away; 
Rose  red  and   Mood  rod,   its  stripes  forever  gleam. 
Snow  white  and  soul  white,  the  good  forefathers'  dream; 
Sky  blue  and  true  blue,  with  stars  that  gleam  aright, 
The  gloried  guidon  of  the  day,  a  shelter  through  the  night. 


320  LIFE  IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

"Your  flag  and  my  flag,  and  oh,  how  much  it  holds! 
Your  land  and  my  land  secure  within  its  folds; 
Your  heart  and  my  heart  beat  quicker  at  the  sight, 
Sun  kissed  and  wind  tossed,  the  red  and  blue  and  white; 
The  one  flag,  the  great  flag,  the  flag  for  me  and  you, 
Glorified  all  else  beside,  the  red  and  white  and  blue." 

A  civilization  that  permits  the  scenes  of  war  has  not  accom- 
plished a  good  mission  upon  earth.  War,  the  worst  survival 
of  savage  life,  should  forever  cease,  and  arbitration  of  nations, 
and  of  communities  should  assume  the  responsibilities. 

When  the  war  ended,  the  soldiers  of  the  two  armies  re- 
turned to  their  respective  homes,  and  took  up  anew  the  pur- 
suits of  civil  life.  The  quiet  and  rapid  manner  in  which 
these  two  great  armies  of  veteran  soldiers  again  resumed  the 
duties  of  private  life,  was  an  astonishing  lesson  to  the  nations 
of  the  earth.  Many  of  the  ex-Federal  soldiers,  charmed  with 
the  climate  and  the  people  of  the  South,  returned  there  to 
make  it  their  abiding  home. 

Negroes  were  employed  in  the  work  upon  fortifications,  in 
hospitals,  and  other  places  under  the  Confederate  war  depart- 
ment. The  Journal  of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives  of  the 
Confederate  States  of  America,  87th  day,  Monday,  February 
20,  1865,  states  :— 

Several  bills  were  introduced  to  "  incorporate  the  colored 
people,  so  called,  into  the  military  service,  into  the  Provisional 
Army  of  the  Confederate  States,  and  to  organize  them  into 
companies,  squadrons,  battalions,  regiments,  brigades,  divi- 
sions, or  otherwise,  as  to  the  General  in  Chief  may  seem  most 
expedient :  Provided,  That  said  organizations  shall  be  com- 
manded only  by  white  commissioned  officers,"  etc. 

Prior  to  this  date,  there  were  several  such  bills,  or  resolu- 
tions offered,  but  they  failed  in  providing  for  negro  soldiers 
for  the  defense  of  the  Confederate  States  until  March  7,  1865, 
when  a  bill  was  passed  authorizing  the  President — Jefferson 
Davis — to  ask  for  and  accept  from  the  owners  of  negro  slaves 


MISCELLANEOUS 


321 


as  many  able  bodied  negroes  as  he  might  deem  expedient  to 
perform  military  service  in  any  capacity  he  might  direct. 
President  Davis  in  his  message  of  March  13,  1865,  refers  to 
this  bill  as  follows:  "The  bill  for  employing  negroes  as 
soldiers  has  not  reached  me  though  the  printed  journals  of 
your  proceedings  inform  me  of  its  passage.  Much  benefit  is 
anticipated  from  this  measure,  though  far  less  than  would 
have  resulted  from  its  adoption  at  an  earlier  date,  so  as  to 
afford  time  for  their  organization  and  instruction  during  the 
winter  months." 

The  historian  Pollard,  in  his  life  of  Jefferson  Davis  makes 
the  following  comment  upon  this  latter  bill  for  arming  the 
slaves :  "  The  fruits  of  this  emasculated  measure  were  two 
companies  of  blacks  organized  from  some  negro  vagabonds  in 
Richmond,  which  were  allowed  to  give  free  balls  at  the  Libby 
Prison  and  were  exhibited  in  fine,  fresh  uniforms  on  Capitol 
Square,  as  decoys  to  obtain  sable  recruits." 

From  Journal  of  the  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States 
of  America,  1861-1865,  Vol.  VII,  page  542,  75th  day,  Mon- 
day, February  6,  1865. 

"  Mr.  Moore  offered  the  following  resolution :" 

"Resolved.  That  the  Committee  on  Military  Affairs  in- 
quire into  the  expediency  of  investing  the  President  with  the 
authority  by  law  to  call  into  the  service  of  the  Confederate 
States  all  the  able  bodied  negro  men  within  the  limits  of  said 
States,  to  be  used  in  such  manner  and  for  such  purposes  as 
the  Commander  in  Chief  of  our  armies  may  direct,  and  on 
Buch  terms  as  he  may  think  will  render  them  most  efficient  in 
aiding  in  the  military  defences  of  our  country." 

Several  amendments  to  this  resolution  were  offered, 
amongst  which  was  thai  of  Mr.  Marshall,  by  which  the  Presi- 
dent was  authorized  t<>  "call  into  the  military  service  of  the 
Confederate  States  such  number  of  the  male  colored  popula- 
tion, whether  free  or  slave,  between  the  ages  of  18  and  45 

21 


322  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

years  as  may  be  called  for  by  the  General  in  Chief  command- 
ing the  armies  of  the  Confederate  States  and  as  the  Presi- 
dent may  deem  it  expedient  and  conducive  to  the  public  in- 
terest to  use  in  defense  of  the  country.  He  is  hereby 
authorized  to  incorporate  the  colored  people,  so  called,  into 
the  military  service,  into  the  Provisional  Army  of  the  Con- 
federate States,  and  to  organize  them  into  companies,  squad- 
rons, battalions,  regiments,  brigades,"  etc.  It  provided  that 
these  be  commanded  by  white  officers,  to  be  appointed  by  the 
President.  They  were  to  receive  the  same  clothing,  pay, 
rations,  etc.,  as  white  soldiers. 

"  In  1861,  300  free  negroes  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  offered 
their  services  to  the  Confederate  Government  either  to  fight 
under  white  officers,  or  to  ditch  and  dig." 

Many  servants  were  voluntary  followers  of  their  soldier 
master.  In  many  cases,  they  were  the  faithful  nurse,  or  the 
heart  broken,  only  friend  at  the  master's  death  upon  the 
battle  field.  For  such  devoted  service,  the  old  ex-Confederate 
would  plight  his  life  for  his  sable  friend. 

The  favorite  song  of  the  Confederacy  was  "  Dixie,"  which 
it  is  said  was  composed  in  the  year  18G0,  by  Dan  Emmett,  a 
famous  comedian,  born  in  New  York  City. 

God  made  dis  worl'  in  jus'  six  days 
An'  finish'd  it  in  various  ways. 

Chorus 

Look  away,  look  away,  look  away,  Dixie  Ian'. 

He  den  made  Dixie  trim  an'  nice, 

When  Adam  called  it  "Paradise" 

Look  away,  look  away,  look  away,  Dixie  Ian'. 

Den  I  wish  I  was  in  Dixie,  look  'way,  look  'way 

In  Dixie  Lan'  I'll  took  my  stan'  to  lib  and  die  in  Dixie. 

Away,  away,  away  down  South  in  Dixie, 
Away,  away,  away  down  South  in  Dixie, 


MISCELLANEOUS 


323 


I  wish  I  was  in  de  Ian'  ob  cotton, 
Old  times  dar  are  not  forgotten. 

Look  away,  look  away,  look  away,  Dixie  Ian'. 

Den  I  wish  I  was  in  Dixie,  look  'way,  look  'way. 

'Twas  Dixie  Ian'  whar  I  was  born  in 
Early  on  one  frosty  niornin' 

Look  away,  look  away,  look  away,  Dixie  Ian'. 

In  Dixie  Ian'  de  darkies  grow 
If  white  folks  only  plant  der  toe 

Look  away,  look  away,  look  away,  Dixie  Ian'. 

Dey  wet  de  groun'  wid  'bacco  smoke 
Den  up  de  darkies  head  will  poke 

Look  away,  look  away,  look  away,  Dixie  Ian'. 

Buckwheat  cakes  an'  cornmeal  batter 
Makes  you  fat  or  a  little  fatter 

Look  away,  look  away,  look  away,  Dixie  Ian'. 

But  if  yo'  want  to  drive  away  sorrer, 
Come  an'  hear  dis  song  termorrer 

Look  away,  look  away,  look  away,  Dixie  Ian'. 

Den  hoe  it  down  an'  scratch  yo'  grabble 
To  Dixie  Ian'  I'm  boun'  to  trabble 

Look  away,  look  away,  look  away,  Dixie  Ian'. 

Den  here's  de  health  to  my  ole  Missus, 
An'  all  de  gals  dat  wants  to  kiss  us 

Look  away,  look  away,  look  away,  Dixie  Ian*. 

Away,  away,  away  down  South  in  Dixie. 

At  the  beginning  of  theTJivil  War  the  Potomac  River  was 
the  dividing  line  between  the  Confederate  and  the  Federal 

States. 

The  following  poem  was  written  by  a  Confederate  soldier 
from  Mi  issippi,  earned  Fontaine,  who  was  noted  for  his 
daring  deeds  during  the  siege  <>f  Yicksburg. 


324  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

It  is  said  it  was  inspired  by  having  his  friend  and  com- 
rade shot  down  in  his  presence  by  an  unseen  sharpshooter: 

"  All  quiet  along  the  Potomac,"  they  say, 
Except  here  and  there  a  stray  picket 
Is  shot  as  he  walks  on  his  heat  to  and  fro, 
By  a  rifleman  hid  in  the  thicket. 

Tis  nothing — a  private  or  two  now  and  then 
Will  not  count  in  the  news  of  the  hattle; 

Not  an  officer  lost — only  one  of  the  men — 
Moaning  out,  all  alone,  the  death-rattle. 

All  quiet  along  the  Potomac  to-night, 

Where  the  soldiers  lie  peacefully  dreaming; 

Their  tents,  in  the  rays  of  the  clear  autumn  moon 
Or  in  the  light  of  their  camp-fires,  gleaming. 

A  tremulous  sigh  as  a  gentle  night  wind 

Through  the  forest  leaves  softly  is  creeping, 

While  the  stars  up  above  with  their  glittering  eyes 
Keep  guard  o'er  the  army  while  sleeping. 

There  is  only  the  sound  of  the  lone  sentry's  tread 
As  he  tramps  from  the  rock  to  the  fountain, 

And  thinks  of  the  two  on  the  low  trundle  bed 
Far  away  in  the  cot  on  the  mountain. 

His  musket  falls  back,  and  his  face  dark  and  grim. 

Grows  gentle  with  memories  tender 
As  he  mutters  a  prayer  for  the  children  asleep, 

For  their  mother — may  heaven  defend  her! 

The  moon  seems  to  shine  as  brightly  as  then, 
That  night  when  the  love  yet  unspoken 

Leaped  up  to  his  lips  and  when  low  murmured  vows 
Were  pledged  to  be  ever  unbroken. 

Then,  drawing  roughly  his  sleeve  o'er  his  eyes, 
He  dashes  off  tears  that  are  welling. 

And  gathers  his  gun  close  up  to  its  place 
As  if  to  keep  down  the  heart  swelling. 


MISCELLANEOUS 


325 


He  passes  the  fountain,  the  blasted  pine  tree, 

His  footsteps  are  lagging  and  weary 
Yet  onward  he  goes  through  the  broad  belt  of  light 

Toward  the  shades  of  the  forest  so  dreary. 

Hark!  was  it  the  night  wind  rustled  the  leaves. 

Was  it  moonlight  so  wondrously  flashing? 
It  looked  like  a  rifle.     "  Ha!  Mary,  good-by!" 

And  the  life-blood  is  ebbing  and  plashing. 

All  quiet  along  the  Potomac  to-night, 

No  sound  save  the  rush  of  the  river; 
While  soft  falls  the  dew  on  the  face  of  the  dead — 

That  picket's  off  duty  forever. 

III.     The  Ex-Confederate  Soldier. 

The  Confederate  soldier  reached  his  home  upon  his  lean 
war  horse  which  Grant  and  Lee  both  agreed  he  needed  to  plow 
his  land.  The  less  fortunate  infantryman,  who  belonged  to 
the  "•  walkin'  regiments/'  came  home  barefoot,  and  each  and 
all  of  them  with  their  clothing  full  of  holes,  some  of  which 
were  made  by  briars,  and  some  by  bullets.  The  four  years 
of  Civil  War,  from  which  they  returned,  wTas  not  a  series  of 
pleasant  picnics,  or  of  mimic  war,  but  was  a  serious  and 
shocking  endeavor  of  men  of  the  South  and  of  the  North  to 
kill  one  another  or  to  run  big  risks  in  trying. 

The  hardships  which  a  soldier  endured  in  the  time  of  war, 
are  almost  beyond  belief.  In  the  matter  of  clothing  and 
food,  the  Federal  soldier  was  better  provided  than  the  Con- 
federate. This  was  due  mainly  to  the  fact  that  the  Fed- 
eral Government  had  the  outside  world  to  draw  from  while 
the  Confederacy  was  obliged  to  depend  upon  home  products, 
and  the  few  articles  brought  in  by  blockade  runners.  During 
the  last  two  years  of  the  war,  the  capture  of  a  big  Federal 
supply  train  was  a  matter  of  as  much  significance  to  the  Con- 
federates as  the  victory  on  a  battle  field. 


326 


LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 


The  enormous  increase  of  prices  of  articles  in  the  Con- 
federate States  was  so  alarming  as  to  force  the  Confederate 
Government  to  an  effort  to  regulate  them.  An  attempt  was 
made  in  the  year  186-1  to  enforce  the  following  schedule  of 
prices : 

Salt,  bush $     35.00 

Axes,   each    12.00 

Bacon,  lb 3.00 

Apples  (dried),  lb 5.00 

Beef,  (fresh),  lb 1.00 

Candles,  lb 8.75 

Coffee  (Rio)  lb 4.00 

Flour,    (bbl.)    45.00 

Horses  or  mules,  each.  1000.00 


Potatoes  (sweet)  bus.  .$  4.00 

Pork,   (fresh)   lb 2.25 

Quinine,  per  oz 56.00 

Cotton  cloth,  yd 1.30 

Steel  (cast),  per  lb.  ..  8.00 

Shoes   (army)    15.00 


Oxen,  yoke 1000.00 

Iron   (pig) ,  ton 350.00 

Iron  (wrg't  bars)  ton..  1030.00 

Lard,  lb 2.75 

Leather,  sole,  lb 6.00 

Nails,  cut,  keg  100.00 

Onions,  bush 8.00 


1.00 
3.00 
8.00 
3.00 
2.50 
1.50 
10.00 
7.50 
8.00 
Wagon,    350.00 


Soap  (rosin),  lb.  . 
Sugar  (brown),  lb. 

Tea,  lb 

Tobacco    (plug)    . 

Tallow,  lb 

Duck  (10  oz.),  yd. 

Whiskey,  gal.   

Wheat,  bush , 

Wool,  lb , 


It  is  stated  that  after  the  first  year  of  the  war,  the  daily 
rations  of  a  Confederate  soldier  when  marching  or  fighting, 
were  one  pint  of  cornmeal,  one-fourth  pound  of  bacon.  If 
camping,  in  addition  to  this  he  drew  one-fourth  pound  of 
sugar,  or  one-half  pint  of  molasses,  three-fourths  of  a  pound 
of  black  peas,  one  ounce  of  salt,  and  one-eighth  of  a  pound  of 
soap,  and  on  Christmas  Day,  a  "  j agger  of  pinetop  whiskey/* 

When  Confederate  General  E.  Kirby  Smith  invaded  Ken- 
tucky in  1862,  his  army  had  ten  days'  rations  issued  to  them 
and  started  afoot  over  the  mountains  to  get  in  the  rear  of 
Cumberland  Gap.  At  the  end  of  the  sixth  day,  there  were 
not  six  pounds  of  rations  in  the  whole  division.  In  order  to 
supply  his  men  with  something  to  eat,  he  bought  whole  fields 
of  corn,  which  were  in  the  roasting  ear  stage,  and  the  sol- 
diers were  told  to  help  themselves.     Having  left  their  wagon 


MISCELLANEOUS  327 

and  supply  train  behind  with  their  cooking  utensils,  they 
were  obliged  to  build  fires  to  roast  the  corn,  the  result  being 
that  it  was  burned  black  on  the  outside  and  raw  on  the  inside. 
An  ex-Confederate  soldier  told  the  writer  that  his  daily  ration 
for  more  than  a  week  before  the  surrender  at  Appomattox, 
was  an  ear  of  corn  for  himself  and  three  for  his  horse. 

It  is  tradition,  that  there  was  but  one  man  in  the  whole  of 
Tidewater  Virginia  who  failed  to  do  his  duty  when  called 
upon  by  his  mother  State,  Virginia,  and  this  was  an  old  fel- 
low who  had  been  a  lone  widower  for  many  years,  and  just  at 
the  date  when  the  State  of  Virginia  issued  an  urgent  call  for 
more  troops,  which  included  men  of  his  age,  he  happily  met 
with  a  worthy  helpmeet  in  the  person  of  a  widow,  who  had 
cast  off  her  widow's  weeds  many  years  without  benefit  until 
this  last  and  fortunate  meeting  with  the  hero  of  this  story. 
His  newly  made  spouse  believing  in  the  adage  that  "  he  who 
is  in  battle  slain  can  never  rise  to  fight  again,"  declared  to 
him  in  pleading  tones  that  she  would  die  if  he  went  to  the 
war,  and  to  save  her  life  he  consented  to  submit  himself  to 
her  guidance.  Fortunately  for  her  scheme,  she  discovered  an 
old,  discarded  hen's  nest  full  of  eggs  that  had  attained  an  age 
of  strength  which  made  them  famous  in  strong  odors.  This 
affectionate  wife  selected  two  from  the  nest  which  she  believed 
had  secreted  the  most  substantial  and  lasting  odors,  and  with 
these,  she  filled  both  ears  of  the  idol  of  her  eye,  then  plugged 
each  car  solidly  with  cofton  batting,  and  accompanied  him  to 
the  recruiting  officer  for  the  physical  examination  which  each 
new  recruit  must  undergo.  Upon  being  questioned  by  the 
examining  surgeon  as  to  his  ailments,  the  good  wife  answered 
that  her  spouse  was  "  a  great  sufferer  from  a  misery  in  his 
ears."  Upon  removing  the  cotton  plugs,  and  inhaling  the 
pent  up  odors  of  the  discarded  nest,  the  officer  was  convinced, 
and  hastily  advised  the  good  woman  to  get  her  husband  home 
as  rapidly  as  possible  as  he  had  "  but  a  short  while  to  live." 

When  the  Confederate  soldier  first  reached  his  home  after 


328  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

the  war,  he  was  angry,  but  he  soon  banished  this  feeling,  and 
discovered  there  were  victories  to  be  won  in  peace  as  glorious 
as  any  he  had  participated  in  as  a  soldier.  Occasionally,  he 
found  a  proxy,  to  give  vent  to  feelings  such  as  his,  in  the  per- 
son of  a  noted  ballad  singer  named  "  Gregory,"  who,  imme- 
diately after  the  war,  conducted  what  was  acknowledged  by 
all  his  audience  as  "  The  Best  One  Man  Show  on  Earth." 
Gregory  could  count  on  a  "  full  house  "  and  a  most  boisterous 
and  hearty  encore  wherever,  and  as  often  as  he  sang  "  The 
Good  Old  Eebel,"  accompanying  his  voice  with  his  nimble 
fingers  on  a  big  banjo.  The  words  of  this  ballad  were  full  of 
the  strength  of  expression,  and  the  sound  of  defiance  suitable 
to  the  times.  Gregory's  voice  in  song  made  many  a  heavy 
heart  feel  light.  Peace  to  his  ashes  is  the  wish  of  all  who 
ever  heard  him. 

THE  GOOD  OLD  REBEL. 

"  O,  I'm  a  good  rebel, 

Now  that's  just  what  I  am, 
For  this  "Fair  land  of  Freedom" 

I  do  not  care  a  damn; 
I'm  glad  I  fit  against  it, 

I  only  wish  we'd  won, 
And  I  don't  want  no  pardon 

For  anything  I  done. 

"  I  hates  the  Constitution, 

This  great  Republic  too, 
I  hates  the  freedman's  Buro, 

In  uniform  of  blue; 
I  hates  the  nasty  eagle 

With  all  its  bragg  and  fuss 
The  lyin',  thievin'  Yankees, 

I  hates  them  wuss  and  wuss. 

"  I  hates  the  Yankee  nation 
And  everything  they  do, 
I  hates  the  Declaration 
Of  Independence  too; 


MISCELLANEOUS  329 

I  hates  the  glorious  Union — 

'Tis  dripping  with  our  blood — 

I  hates  their  striped  banner, 
I  fit  it  all  I  could. 

Three  hundred  thousand  Yankees 

Is  stiff  in  Southern  dust; 
We  got  three  hundred  thousand 

Before  they  conquered  us; 
They  died  of  Southern  fever 

And  Southern  steel  and  shot, 
I  wish  they  was  three  million, 

Instead  of  what  we  got. 

"  I  followed  Old  Ma's  Robert 

For  four  years  near  about, 
Got  wounded  in  three  places, 

And  starved  at  Pint  Lookout; 
I  cotched  the  roomaatism 

A  campin'  in  the  snow, 
But  I  killed  a  lot  o'  Yankees, 

I'd  like  to  kill  some  mo'. 

"I  can't  take  up  my  musket 

And  fight  'em  now  no  more, 
But  I  ain't  a-going  to  love  'em, 

Now  that  is  sartin  sure; 
And  I  don't  want  no  pardon, 

For  what  I  was  and  am, 
I  won't  be  reconstructed, 

And  I  don't  care  a  damn." 

After  a  wlrlle  spent  in  neighborhood  pleasures  in  which  he 
participated  with  a  zest  that  proved  they  were  appreciated  by 
him,  the  Confederate  soldier  laid  aside  his  tattered  uniform 
of  grey  and  wont  to  work  as  he  had  oftentimes  gone  to  bat- 
tle— determined  to  win.  The  cleared  fields,  the  many  new 
industries,  and  the  prosperous  happy  homes  in  the  "New 
Southland  n  tell  the  story  of  the  success  of  the  "Old  Con- 
federate  soldier  returned  from  the  war." 


330  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

Throughout  the  several  counties  of  Virginia,  in  nearly 
every  instance,  there  are  erected  beautiful  monuments  of 
granite  or  marble  shafts,  silent  but  loving  tributes  to  the 
memory  of  the  "  Soldier  of  the  Southern  Confederacy." 
They  were  paid  for  and  are  maintained  by  the  voluntary  con- 
tribution of  the  people  in  the  respective  counties. 

IV.    The  Merrimac  and  Monitor. 

The  several  peninsulas  into  which  Tidewater  Virginia  is 
divided  have  each  their  own  interesting  history  which  unfor- 
tunately cannot  be  noted  here.  In  fact,  each  county  of  that 
section  is  so  intimately,  and  sufficiently  connected  with  inci- 
dents of  the  earliest  settlements  of  America,  and  with  other 
later  important  events  of  America's  history  as  to  furnish  data 
for  large  volumes. 

Virginia  guards  the  entrance  to  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  as  the 
lands  upon  both  sides  of  the  Capes,  Charles  and  Henry,  from 
the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  inland,  are  the  territory  of 
the  State. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  entrance  is  Cape  Henry,  and  there 
begins  the  "  Norfolk  Peninsula."  This  region  in  which  the 
colonists  first  set  foot  upon  Virginia's  soil  now  contains  the 
second  largest  city  in  the  State.  It  is  named  Norfolk,  and 
was  first  established  as  a  town  in  1705.  Its  location  for  a 
town  was  selected  by  Act  of  Assembly,  in  16 SO,  which  pro- 
vided for  the  building  of  a  town  in  each  of  the  twenty  coun- 
ties then  formed :  "  In  Lower  Norfolk  County  on  Nicholas 
Wise  his  land  on  the  Capital  Eastern  Branch  on  Elizabeth 
Brver  at  the  entrance  on  the  Branch."  It  is  one  of  the  few 
cities  of  America  receiving  its  charter  from  the  Crown  of 
England.  In  1736  it  was  formed  into  a  Borough  by  Eoyal 
Charter  from  George  III. 

The  IT.  S.  Navy  Yard  is  situated  within  the  same  harbor, 


federate   Monument,    Hollywood,    Richmond,  Va. 


MISCELLANEOUS  331 

on  Elizabeth  River  in  that  portion  known  as  Gosport,  within 
the  city  of  Portsmouth  which  was  established  in  1752.  The 
early  settlers  of  this  section  were  mainly  Scotch  and  Irish. 

This  vicinity  was  often  the  scene  of  important  military 
events  in  the  wars  of  the  Revolution,  and  in  1812-15,  and 
also  during  the  Civil  War.  The  most  notable  event  occurring 
in  that  vicinity  during  the  Civil  War  was  the  fight  between 
the  first  iron  clad  vessels  ever  to  engage  in  battle. 

From  out  of  Xorfolk  harbor  on  Saturday,  March  8,  1862, 
there  came  the  first  "  iron  clad  "  vessel  to  fight  a  naval  battle 
in  the  history  of  the  world.  This  iron  clad  was  formerly  the 
U.  S.  steam  frigate  "  Merrimac,"  which  was  partly  burned 
and  sunk  in  this  harbor  in  1861,  at  the  evacuation  of  the 
Navy  Yard  there  by  the  Federals.  She  had  been  raised  by 
the  Confederates  and  transformed  into  an  "  iron  clad,"  and 
named  "  Virginia."  On  the  day  above  mentioned,  this  vessel, 
more  frequently  referred  to  in  history  as  the  "  Merrimac," 
without  serious  injury  to  herself  or  crew  destroyed  several 
large  vessels  of  the  Federal  fleet  near  Newport  News,  and  on 
the  following  day  but  for  the  timely  arrival  of  an  "  iron  clad  " 
-el  built  for  the  Federal  Government  by  Ericsson,  and 
named  the  "  Monitor,"  she  would  have  swept  the  seas,  as 
there  was  then  no  vessel  afloat  on  the  waters  of  this  planet, 
except  the  "  Monitor,"  which  was  her  equal  or  could  with- 
stand her  attack. 

On  Sunday  March  9,  1862,  the  Merrimac  returned  from 
Elizabeth  River,  where  she  had  harbored  during  the  night,  and 
when  reaching  Hampton  Roads  to  complete  the  destruction 
of  the  remaining  vessels  of  the  Federal  fleet,  she  was  met  by 
"  Monitor,"  which  had  arrived  there  during  the  early 
hours  of  that  morning.  The  four  hours'  battle  upon  this  day 
between  these  two  vessels  is  world  renowned  as  the  first  ever 
fought  between  iron  clad  vessels.  The  Merrimac  was  the 
iter  Bufferer  of  the  two  in  the  engagement  which  followed 
with  the  Monitor. 


332  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

The  Commander  of  the  Merrimac,  Commodore  Franklin 
Buchanan  and  several  others  on  board  were  severely  wounded 
and  some  killed.  Two  of  her  guns  were  broken;  her  armor 
damaged;  her  anchor  and  all  her  flagstaffs  were  shot  away, 
and  the  smoke  stack  and  steam  pipe  riddled.  This  vessel 
during  the  two  days  she  was  in  action,  assisted  by  five  other 
Confederate  vessels — the  Jamestown,  Patrick  Henry,  Ealeigh, 
Beaufort  and  Teazer — caused  a  loss  to  the  Federals,  in  killed 
and  wounded,  nearly  400  men,  and  the  frigates  Congress  and 
Cumberland,  the  tug  Dragon,  and  great  damages  to  the  Min- 
nesota. This  was  the  last  fight  between  these  two  iron  clads ; 
the  Confederates  subsequently  destroyed  the  Merrimac  when 
they  evacuated  Norfolk. 

McKean  Buchanan,  brother  of  the  Commander  of  the  Con- 
federate Merrimac,  was  an  officer  on  board  the  TJ.  S.  frigate 
Congress  at  the  time  she  was  destroyed  by  the  former  vessel 
which  his  brother  commanded.  Thus  did  brother  fight 
against  brother  during  the  Civil  War. 

Owing  to  its  shape,  the  Monitor  escaped  serious  injury  to 
her  hull  or  to  her  crew  in  this  desperate  encounter,  excepting 
her  commander,  Lieut.  John  L.  Worden,  who  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  eyes.  While  viewing  the  Merrimac  through 
the  peep  hole  in  the  turret  of  his  ship  a  shot  from  that  vessel 
struck  fairly  in  front  of  his  view;  it  shivered  some  cement 
and  cast  it  so  violently  in  his  face  that  it  blinded  him  for 
several  days.  Others  in  the  turret  were  knocked  down  by  the 
concussion,  but  no  one  seriously  injured. 

There  was  very  great  difference  in  the  shape  of  these  two 
first  iron  clad  vessels.  The  Merrimac,  or  Virginia,  appeared 
when  afloat,  like  a  huge  roof.  Her  hull  was  275  feet  long; 
about  160  feet  of  the  central  portion  was  covered  with  a  roof 
of  wood  and  iron  inclining  about  36  degrees.  This  and  her 
sides  were  composed  of  oak  timbers  28  inches  thick,  covered 
6  inches  deep  by  railway  iron  bars  and  iron  plates.     A  bul- 


MISCELLANEOUS  333 

wark  or  false  bow  was  added,  and  beyond  this  was  a  strong 
oak  and  iron  beak,  thirty-three  feet  long,  for  ramming.  She 
carried  on  each  side  four  eighty  pounder  rifled  cannon.  Two 
of  the  rifles,  bow  and  stern  pivots  were  seven  inch,  of  14,500 
pounds;  the  other  two  were  6.4  inch,  of  9,000  pounds  each. 
She  had  furnaces  for  heating  shot  and  apparatus  for  throw- 
ing hot  water.  She  was  intended  to  "make  the  Yankees 
hot." 

The  Monitor  was  described  by  the  Confederates  as  a 
<-'  Yankee  cheese  box  set  on  a  plank."  The  deck  of  the  Moni- 
tor was  only  a  few  inches  above  water.  The  round  revolving 
turret  was  twenty  feet  in  diameter  and  ten  feet  in  height 
above  deck.  The  smoke  stack  was  made  so  as  to  be  lowered 
in  action.  The  hull  was  double,  sharp  at  both  ends;  the 
upper  hull  five  feet  in  height  rested  on  the  lower  and  ex- 
tended over  it  three  feet  seven  inches  all  around,  excepting  at 
the  ends  where  it  projected  twenty-five  feet,  affording  pro- 
tection to  the  anchor,  propeller  and  rudder.  It  was  only  six 
feet  six  inches  deep,  with  a  flat  bottom,  and  was  one  hundred 
twenty-four  feet  in  length  and  thirty-four  feet  in  width  at  the 
top. 

The  whole  was  built  of  three  inch  iron.  Its  exposed  parts 
were  guarded  by  a  wall  of  white  oak,  thirty  inches  thick  in 
which  was  laid  iron  armor  six  inches  thick.  The  deck  con- 
tained nothing  <>n  it  when  in  action  but  the  turret — "cheese 
box" — the  wheel  house,  and  a  box  covering  the  smoke  stack. 

The  turret  was  a  round  revolving  iron  Martello  tower, 
twenty  feel  in  diameter,  and  ten  feet  high;  it  was  composed 
of  eighl  thicknesses  <>f  one  inch  iron  plate.  The  only  en- 
trance into  the  vessel  thai  boarders  of  it  couhl  find,  was  from 
the  lop  "f  the  turret,  and  theD  only  one  man  at  a  time  could 
cend.  It  contained  two  eleven  inch  Dahlgren  cannon 
mounted.  The  (unci  was  turned  by  a  contrivance  connected 
with  the  engine  thai  propelled  the  vessel,  which  by  the  turn- 


334  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

ing  of  a  small  wheel  brought  the  turret  around  exactly  where 
wanted  to  bring  the  guns  to  bear  upon  the  other  vessel. 

Lieutenant  John  M.  Brooke,  of  the  Confederate  Navy,  in- 
vented or  planned  the  armor  of  the  "  Virginia,  or  "  Merri- 
mac,"  so  called.  It  was  considered  a  wonderful  achievement 
in  naval  architecture,  and  would  have  destroyed  the  whole 
Federal  fleet  but  for  the  more  wonderfully  constructed 
"  Monitor." 

Notwithstanding  that  Ericsson  (a  native  of  Sweden,  but  a 
citizen  of  New  York),  constructed  the  Monitor,  and  is  justly 
entitled  to  the  high  credit  due  his  genius,  nevertheless,  his 
work  of  building  such  a  ship  without  a  turret  would  have 
been  labor  lost. 

The  revolving  turret  on  the  Monitor  was  first  the  invention 
of  an  American  boy  named  Timby,  in  1841,  when  he  was 
only  19  years  old.  He  got  the  idea  while  passing  Castle  Wil- 
liam in  New  York  Harbor.  It  then  occurred  to  him  that  a 
similar  structure  of  iron,  on  a  revolving  base  could  bring  all 
its  guns  to  bear  on  any  part  of  the  channel.  He  filed  a  caveat 
for  his  invention  in  the  Patent  Office,  on  June  18,  1843.  The 
same  year  he  exhibited  a  model  before  President  Tyler, — a 
Tidewater  Virginian — ,  and  his  cabinet.  Mr.  Jefferson 
Davis,  then  Secretary  of  War,  and  later  President  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy,  was  one  of  the  gentlemen  who  com- 
mended the  invention,  which  later  checked  the  career  of  the 
"  Merrimac."  Young  Timby  went  to  France  with  his  model 
and  exhibited  it  to  Napoleon  III,  but  nothing  more  came  of 
the  invention  until  Ericsson  applied  it  in  the  Monitor. 

A  brief  sketch  relative  to  the  history  of  the  two  men,  who 
planned  and  built  these  two  iron  clad  vessels,  the  first  of  their 
class  ever  to  engage  in  battle,  may  interest  the  reader. 

The  inventor  of  the  "  Merrimac,"  later  known  as  "  Col." 
John  M.  Brooke,  was  also  the  inventor  of  deep  sea  sounding 
apparatus,  which  has  enabled  scientists  to  ascertain  the  nature 


-a 
a 

O 
u 
b£ 
u 
1-. 
o 

fa 

i) 


-d 
U 


o 


1) 
-a 

c 
o 
U 


>> 

u 

nj 

u 

-a 

V 

e 
c 

U 


o 

o 

53 


MISCELLANEOUS  335 

of  the  ocean's  bed.  It  was  through  his  construction  of  the 
Virginia,  or  Merrimac,  that  the  principle  of  submerged  and 
extended  ends  was  applied  to  warships  which  are  used  at  this 
date  by  battleships. 

He  was  a  son  of  Gen.  Geo.  M.  Brooke,  of  Virginia,  a  dis- 
tinguished officer  in  the  U.  S.  Army  during  the  War  of  1812. 
He  was  married  twice.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Lizzie  Gar- 
nett,  sister  of  Gen.  Richard  Brooke  Garnett,  who  was  killed 
in  Pickett's  charge  at  Gettysburg.  His  second  wife  was  Miss 
Corbin,  of  Tidewater  Virginia.  He  was  born  near  Tampa, 
Florida,  Dec.  18,  182G,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Lexington, 
Virginia,  Dec.  14,  1906,  while  holding  the  position  of  emeri- 
tus professor  of  physics  at  Virginia  Military  Institute. 

John  Ericsson,  who  planned  and  built  the  "  Monitor,"  was 
a  Swedish  engineer  and  physicist,  a  man  of  wonderful  in- 
ventive genius.  His  inventions  are  too  numerous  to  repeat 
here,  but  amongst  them  may  be  mentioned  the  first  idea  of 
successful  artificial  draft  for  locomotives,  a  caloric  engine,  the 
the  application  of  the  propeller  to  purposes  of  navigation. 
In  1839,  he  came  to  New  York,  and  in  1841  was  employed 
in  the  construction  of  the  ship  of  war  Princeton,  the  first 
steamship  ever  built  with  the  propelling  machinery  under 
water.  He  built  the  Monitor  under  contract  with  the  Fede- 
ral Government,  and  completed  it  in  one  hundred  days.  He 
was  l>'>rn  in  the  province  of  Wcrmeland,  Sweden,  in  1803, 
and  died  in  Stockholm,  Sept.  8,  1870. 


APPENDIX 

I.  List  of  Governors  of  Virginia  with  Short 
Biographical  Sketches, 


GOVERNORS  OF  THE  COLONY  1607-1776. 

By  the  terms  of  the  first  charter  of  the  London  Company, 
dated  April  10,  1606,  there  were  two  governing  bodies,  or 
councils.  The  Council  resident  in  England,  appointed  by  the 
King,  had  the  chief  direction  of  affairs  for  the  Colony.  It 
named  the  council  to  reside  in  and  to  control  Virginia.  Each 
of  these  two  bodies  were  empowered  to  elect  one  of  their  own 
number  as  Chief  Executive  or  President. 

Under  the  second  charter,  dated  May  23,  1609,  the  Com- 
pany was  granted  the  power  to  choose  the  Council  in  England, 
and  select  a  Governor  who  was  invested  with  absolute  civil 
and  military  authority,  with  the  title  of  "  Governor  and  Cap- 
tain General  of  Virginia."  This  title  was  the  most  higldy 
prized  honor  pertaining  to  the  Colony,  and  the  greater  num- 
ber of  its  recipients  found  it  purely  a  sinecure  which  they  had 
the  liberty  to  enjoy  at  their  leisure,  without  even  the  fatigue 
of  a  journey  across  the  Atlantic's  waters  to  view  their  hon- 
ored charge. 

With  few  exceptions  the  actual  duties  of  a  colonial  governor 
of  Virginia  were  conducted  in  person  within  the  Colony  by 
those  whose  title  ranked  below  that  of  the  "Governor  in 
Chief  and  Captain  General  of  Virginia." 

The  charter  provided  that  in  the  absence  of  the  Governor 
and  Captain  General,  authority  was  to  be  vested  in  an 
appointed  Deputy,  or  Lieutenant  Governor,  or  in  the  absence 
of  such  officers  power  to  act  was  then  vested  in  the  President 
of   the   resident    Council.     The   charter    of    1612    made    no 

[336] 


APPENDIX  337 

changes  in  the  governorship.  When  the  Company's  charter 
was  annulled,  in  1624,  the  governors  and  the  resident  Council 
were  appointed  by  the  King,  and  this  mode  continued  while 
the  Colony  was  under  British  rule.  Then  the  Council  to  re- 
side in  Virginia  was  appointed  upon  the  recommendation  of 
the  Governor,  or  Lieutenant  Governor. 

Sir  Thomas  Smith,  a  prominent  merchant  of  London,  and 
one  of  the  assignees  of  the  patents  granted  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh,  was  the  first  President  of  the  Council  of  the  London, 
or  Virginia,  Company,  and  its  treasurer  resident  in  London, 
from  1606  to  1618.  Sir  Thomas  Smith  was  eminently  noted 
for  his  ability  as  a  merchant  and  politician. 

The  expedition  which  made  the  first  permanent  settlement 
of  the  English  speaking  people  in  America  was  under  the 
charge  of  Capt.  Christopher  Newport  until  their  seating  at 
Jamestown,  May  13,  1607.  Newport  had  in  his  keeping  when 
he  sailed  from  London,  a  sealed  box  given  him  by  the  London 
Company,  which  contained  instructions  for  the  Colony,  and 
the  names  of  those  persons  whom  the  Company  selected  to  be 
the  numbers  of  the  first  Council  to  govern  in  Virginia.  The 
box  was  opened  upon  the  arrival  of  the  throe  ships  at  Cape 
Henry,  on  April  26,  1607,  and  the  names  of  the  Council  were 
read,  together  with  the  instructions  for  selecting  a  seating 
place.  Newport  retained  control  until  the  Colony  reached 
Jamestown,  then  in  accordance  with  their  instructions  the 
Council  selected  one  of  their  number  as  President,  for  the 
term  of  one  yi  ar. 

Edward  Maria  Wingfield,  was  chosen  the  first  President  of 
the  Council  residenl  in  Virginia,  on  May  13,  1607.  On  Sep- 
temher  10,  1607,  he  was  deposed  from  this  office  because  of 
Lgreements  with  the  Council.  He  returned  to  England 
shortly  thereafter.  He  had  been  a  companion  of  Perdinando 
1  in  the  European  wars,  and  was  subsequently  a  captain 

in  the  British  army  in  Inland. 

Captain  John  Ratcliffe,   Presided  of  the  Council  in  Vir- 
22 


338  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

ginia,  from  September  10,  1607,  to  September  7,  1608.  His 
original  name  was  Sicklemore,  which  in  early  life  he  changed 
to  Eatcliffe.  In  connection  with  Captain  John  Smith  he  was 
instrumental  in  deposing  Wingfield  from  the  office  of  Presi- 
dent, and  subsequently  having  quarreled  with  Capt.  John 
Smith  he  favored  hanging  the  doughty  captain  after  the 
latter's  romantic  release  from  death  by  Pocahontas  because 
Smith's  crew  were  murdered  by  Opechancanough  upon  the 
occasion  of  Smith's  capture. 

In  December,  1608,  Eatcliffe  was  forced  to  return  to  Eng- 
land with  Newport,  in  fear  "lest  the  company  (colonists) 
should  cut  his  throat,"  is  the  reason  assigned  by  Capt.  Smith 
for  Eatcliffe's  departure.  In  July  following  Eatcliffe  re- 
turned to  Virginia  in  the  ship  "  Diamond."  In  1610  while 
trading  with  the  Indians  on  the  York  Eiver  he  was  murdered 
with  twenty-five  of  his  men. 

Captain  John  Smith,  President  of  the  Council  in  Virginia, 
from  September  7,  1608,  to  October,  1609,  when  he  returned 
to  England  to  be  treated  for  wounds  received  by  accidental 
explosion  of  gun  powder  while  upon  his  boat  in  the  James 
Eiver.  Elsewhere  in  this  volume  is  a  biographical  sketch  of 
this  remarkable  man. 

Captain  George  Percy,  appointed  by  Capt.  John  Smith, 
President  of  the  Council  in  Virginia,  from  October,  1609, 
to  May  24,  1610,  and  on  March  28,  1611,  was  appointed 
Deputy  Governor  by  Lord  Delaware  until  the  arrival  of  Sir 
Thomas  Dale,  May  19,  1611.  He  was  the  younger  brother  of 
the  Earl  of  Northumberland,  in  whose  honor  one  of  the 
counties  in  the  "  Northern  Neck  "  was  named.  He  was  the 
eighth  son  of  Henry  Percy,  eighth  earl  of  Northumberland; 
born  September  4,  1580,  and  having  returned  to  England  on 
April  22,  1612,  he  died  there  in  1632. 

He  served  with  distinction  in  the  wars  of  the  Low  Coun- 
tries, and  was  the  author  of  "A  True  Eelation  of  the  Proceed- 
ings and  Occurrences  of  moment  which  have  happened  in 


APPENDIX  339 

Virginia  from  the  time  Sir  Thomas  Gates  was  shipwrecked 
upon  the  Bermudas,  1609,  until  my  departure  out  of  the 
Country,  1612."  During  his  control  as  President  occurred 
what  is  known  as  "  The  Starving  Time,"  in  the  colony. 

Sir  Thomas  Gates,  Lieutenant  General  and  Deputy  Gov- 
ernor, from  May  24,  1610,  until  the  arrival  of  Lord  De  La 
Warr,  or  Delaware,  on  June  10,  1610. 

Sir  Thomas  Gates  was  one  of  the  patentees  named  in  the 
first  charter  of  the  London  Company,  and  was  a  captain  in  the 
British  army  and  served  in  the  United  Netherlands  in  1608. 

In  company  with  a  fleet  of  eight  other  vessels  he  sailed  for 
Virginia  in  May,  1609,  but  his  vessel,  the  "  Sea  Venture,"  was 
carried  to  the  Bermudas  by  a  violent  hurricane  and  there 
stranded.  During  the  nine  months  in  which  he  and  his  fel- 
low passengers  were  detained  upon  the  Bermudas  they  con- 
structed two  vessels  from  the  remains  of  the  "  Sea  Venture" 
and  from  cedars  found  upon  the  island.  When  they  reached 
Virginia  they  found  the  Colony  in  a  starving  condition,  and 
the  colonists  determined  to  abandon  Virginia.  They  desired 
to  set  sail  in  Gates'  ships  for  Newfoundland.  Their  depar- 
ture was  prevented  by  the  arrival  of  Lord  Delaware  with  his 
ships  loaded  with  supplies.  Gates  was  sent  to  England  by 
1  Delaware  for  further  supplies  for  the  Colony,  and  in 
June.  1611,  returned  to  Virginia  with  six  ships,  carrying  his 
wife  and  two  daughters,  three  hundred  colonists  and  supplies. 
His  wife  died  on  the  voyage,  and  Ids  daughters  returned  to 
land.  He  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  colonization  of 
Virginia.     I'  i    qo1  known  where  he  died. 

Sir  Thomas  West,  third  Lord  De  La  Warr,  or  Delaware, 
appointed  under  the  new  charter  of  May  23,  1609,  "  Gov- 
ernorand  Captain  General  of  Virginia  "  for  life.  He  reached 
Jamestown  dune  10,  L610,  just  in  time  to  prevent  the  few  re- 
maining  half  famished  colonists  from  deserting  Virginia  for- 
He  was  the  fii  ernor  ever  appointed  for  Virginia, 

and  by  his  timely  arrival  induced  the  colonists  to  return  to 


340  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Jamestown.  During  his  short  stay  with  the  Colony  he  re- 
stored confidence,  order  and  contentment.  On  March  28, 
1611,  he  sailed  for  the  Island  of  Mevis  to  restore  his  failing 
health.  He  returned  thence  to  England,  where  he  exerted  his 
influence  for  the  betterment  of  the  Colony  and  aided  in  secur- 
ing the  third  charter  for  the  Company,  which  was  granted 
March  12,  1612,  by  the  King.  He  set  sail  from  England  to 
Virginia  in  March,  1618,  and  died  on  the  voyage  on  June  7, 
in  or  near  the  Delaware  Bay,  which  together  with  the  State 
and  river  of  that  name  commemorates  his  name  on  this  con- 
tinent. 

Captain  George  Percy,  who  succeeded  Captain  John  Smith 
upon  the  latter's  return  to  England  in  1609,  was  left  in  charge 
of  the  Colony,  as  President  of  the  Council,  from  the  date  Lord 
Delaware  left  for  the  Island  of  Mevis— March  28,  1611,  until 
the  arrival  of  Sir  Thomas  Dale,  on  May  19,  1611.  Elsewhere 
is  a  reference  to  this  gentleman. 

Sir  Thomas  Dale,  Acting  Governor,  under  his  appointment 
as  "High  Marshall,"  reached  Jamestown  May  19,  1611,  and 
in  August,  1611  was  superseded  by  Sir  Thomas  Gates. 

He  was  a  soldier  of  distinction  in  the  Low  Countries  for 
which  he  was  knighted  by  King  James  I.  Under  his  direc- 
tion a  settlement  was  made  named  Henrico,  on  the  James 
River  and  the  first  allotment  of  land — three  acres — were  made 
to  individual  colonists. 

In  March,  1613,  Gates  returned  to  England,  and  Dale  re- 
sumed the  duties  of  Acting  Governor,  until  April,  1616,  when 
he  returned  to  England.  It  was  while  he  was  Governor  that 
John  Rolfe  and  Pocahontas  were  married.  Although  he  had 
a  wife  living  in  England,  it  is  said  he  sent  a  proposal  through 
one  of  his  friends  to  Powhatan,  for  the  younger  sister  of 
Pocahontas  to  become  his  wife,  which  offer  Powhatan  artfully 
refused. 

In  1619,  while  in  England,  he  was  appointed  commander 
of  six  ships  of  the  East  India   Company.     While  fighting 


APPENDIX  341 

against  the  Dutch  he  contracted  a  disease  whicn  resulted  in 
his  death  in  1620. 

Captain  George  Yeardley,  as  President  of  the  Council  in 
Virginia,  upon  the  departure  of  Dale  was  made  Deputy  Gov- 
ernor from  April,  1616  to  May  15,  1617,  when  he  was  super- 
seded by  Captain  Samuel  Argall,  after  which  he  returned  to 
England,  and  after  the  death  of  Lord  Delaware,  he  was 
knighted  Sir  George  Yeardley  by  the  King  to  succeed  the  for- 
mer as  "  Governor  and  Captain  General  of  Virginia."  Ho 
reached  the  colony  April  19,  1619,  and  assumed  control  until 
superseded  by  Sir  Francis  Wyatt  on  November  8,  1621,  and 
when  Wyatt  retired  on  May  17,  1626,  Yeardley  for  the  third 
time  was  appointed  Governor.  During  his  several  administra- 
tions as  Governor  there  were  many  important  changes  for  tho 
betterment  of  the  Colony.  He  acquired  much  territory  for  the 
Colony  from  the  natives  by  reprisal  and  purchase.  During 
his  second  administration  he  called  together  the  first  legisla- 
tive assembly  ever  convened  on  this  continent,  at  Jamestown, 
on  July  30,  1619,  and  on  the  following  August  the  first  negro 
.-laves  ever  in  the  British  colonies  were  brought  to  Jamestown. 
He  successfully  urged  the  London  Company  to  send  wives  to 
the  colonists.  He  died  November  10,  1627,  deeply  regretted 
by  the  -<s,  who  publicly  extolled  his  virtues. 

Captain  Samuel  Argall,  succeeded  Sir  Geo.  Yeardley.  A 
sketch  of  his  career  b<  fore  Ins  appointment  will  be  of  interest 
to  the  reader. 

I  apt.  Argall  was  born  at  Bristol,  England.  His  first 
appearance  in  the  Colony  was  in  duly,  1609,  in  command  of  a 
ship  load  of  liquors  and  provisions  f'li-  trade  with  the  Colony 
at  Jamestown,  and  to  fish  for  sturgeon  on  his  private  ac- 
count— againsi   the  regulations  of  the  Company.     He  made 

ocean  hack  and  forth  from  Jamestown 
to  England,  carrying  provisions  for  the  Colony,  and  trading 
with  the  [ndians  in  Virginia.  Upon  his  first  voyage  up  the 
P  tomac,  for  purpose  of  trading  for  corn,  he  discovered  that 


342  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Pocahontas  was  visiting  at  the  seating  place  of  an  Indian 
chief  named  Japazaws,  said  to  be  her  paternal  uncle.  Argall 
prevailed  upon  Japazaws  and  his  wife  to  entice  Pocahontas 
aboard  of  his  vessel,  for  which  the  chief  was  to  receive  a  cop- 
per kettle,  and  his  wife  some  toys — a  looking  glass,  beads,  etc. 
The  plot  was  successful  and  Pocahontas  was  carried  to  James- 
town, and  was  so  well  treated  by  all  the  Colony  that  she  be- 
came resigned  to  her  captivity,  and  subsequently  married 
John  Eolfe,  mention  of  which  is  heretofore  made.  In  1614, 
under  order  from  Sir  Thomas  Dale,  High  Marshal  of  Vir- 
ginia, Argall  with  a  vessel  of  fourteen  guns  and  crew  drove 
the  French  settlers  off  Mount  Desert,  on  the  Coast  of  Maine. 
He  carried  his  French  prisoners  to  England,  where  he  was  put 
upon  trial  for  disturbing  peaceful  relations  between  the 
French  and  English  Colonies.  He  succeeded  in  vindicating 
his  actions,  and  on  May  15,  1617,  he  is  found  again  in  Vir- 
ginia, with  the  appointment  of  Deputy  or  Lieutenant  Gover- 
nor of  Virginia.  Upon  his  arrival  at  Jamestown  he  found 
"  the  market  place,  streets,  and  other  spare  places  planted  in 
tobacco,"  which  had  then  become  the  staple  crop  of  the  Colony. 
He  rendered  himself  so  odious  to  the  Colony  that  he  was  re- 
called, and  secretly  stole  away  from  Virginia  fen  days  before 
the  arrival  of  Sir  George  Yeardley — April  19,  1619, — who 
had  been  knighted  and  appointed  Governor  and  Captain 
General  of  Virginia,  as  heretofore  stated.  It  is  related  that 
Argall  had  a  moneyed  interest  in  the  first  cargo  of  negro 
slaves  to  reach  Virginia.  The  fact  that  he  was  a  relative  of 
Sir  Thomas  Smith,  the  President  and  Treasurer  of  the  Vir- 
ginia Company  in  London  may  account  for  his  successful  de- 
fense of  his  many  illegal  acts.  In  1622  he  was  knighted  by 
King  James  I  and  made  Admiral  in  command  of  several  Eng- 
lish and  Dutch  ships.  His  attempted  unsuccessful  exploits 
against  the  Spaniards  through  the  desertion  of  several  of  his 
English  ships  "  broke  his  heart,"  and  in  February,  1626,  he 
died. 


APPENDIX  343 

Captain  Nathaniel  Powell,  President  of  the  Council  in 
Virginia,  was,  after  the  sudden  departure  of  Argall,  acting 
Governor  of  the  Colony  from  April  9,  1619,  until  the 
arrival  of  Sir  Geo.  Yeardley,  April  19,  1619,  as  heretofore 
related.  Powell  was  one  of  the  colonists  who  came  to 
Virginia  in  1607.  He  accompanied  Newport  on  his  voyage 
up  the  York  River,  and  was  with  Capt.  John  Smith 
when  the  latter  explored  the  Chesapeake  Bay.  It  is  stated 
that  he  compiled  Smith's  maps  of  this  voyage.  During  the 
Indian  massacre  of  1622,  he  was  murdered  with  his  wife  and 
daughter  and  several  others  upon  his  plantation  on  the  James 
River. 

Sir  Francis  Wyatt,  Governor  and  Captain  General  of  Vir- 
ginia, from  November  8,  1621 — the  expiration  of  Yeardley's 
term — to  May  17,  1626,  when  he  returned  to  Ireland  to 
attend  to  his  private  affairs  occasioned  by  the  death  of  his 
father  there. 

He  was  accompanied  to  Virginia  by  nine  ships,  containing 
supplies  and  immigrants.  Amongst  those  of  prominence  who 
came  with  him  were  his  brother,  Rev.  Hunt  Wyatt,  William 
Claiborne,  as  surveyor,  George  Sandys,  who  subsequently 
translated  the  first  book  ever  written  in  Virginia — the  Meta- 
morphoses of  Ovid.  With  Wyatt  also  came  Doctor  John  Pott, 
who  in  a  short  while  became  famous  as  President  of  the 
Council  in  Virginia,  and  Acting  Governor  of  the  Colony,  and 
later  was  made  infamous  through  being  the  first  person  con- 
victed by  a  jury  trial  in  the  colony. 

Wyatt  brought  to  the  Colony  the  new  constitution,  granted 
July  24,  1621,  by  which  all  former  immunities  and  fran- 
chises were  confirmed.  The  opening  clause  of  his  instructions 
were:  "  To  keep  up  the  religion  of  the  church  of  England  as 
near  as  may  be;  to  be  obedient  to  the  King  and  do  justice 
after  the  form  of  the  laws  of  England,  and  not  to  injure  the 
natives;  and  to  forget  old  quarrels  now  buried."  Trial  by 
jury  was  fii-i  granted  under  his  administration  and  an  an- 


344  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

nual  assembly  provided.  The  most  important  clause  in  the 
new  constitution  was  the  stipulation  that  no  act  of  the  assem- 
bly was  to  be  valid  unless  it  should  be  ratified  by  the  Virginia 
Company  in  London;  and  no  order  of  the  London  Company 
was  to  be  obligatory  in  the  Colony  without  the  concurrence  of 
the  assembly.  On  March  22,  1622,  less  than  five  months 
after  Wyatt  assumed  the  duties  of  Governor,  there  occurred 
the  great  Indian  massacre  under  the  leadership  of  Opechanca- 
nough.  Through  the  direction  of  this  crafty  chief,  who  pro- 
fessed great  friendship  for  the  Colony  and  thereby  gained 
their  confidence,  the  Indians  succeeded  in  murdering  347  of 
the  1258  colonists  then  living  in  Virginia,  and  but  for  the 
friendly  warning  of  a  converted  Indian,  who  gave  notice  on 
the  night  preceding  the  massacre  the  whole  colony  would  have 
been  put  to  death.  The  effect  of  the  massacre  was  to  induce 
the  frightened  people  to  abandon  their  plantations,  and  force 
them  into,  and  near  Jamestown,  thereby  causing  much  desti- 
tution and  sickness.  Capt.  John  Smith  was  then  in  London 
and  upon  learning  of  the  massacre  made  the  offer  to  the  Lon- 
don Company  to  protect  all  the  settlers  from  the  James  to  the 
Potomac  rivers  with  100  soldiers  and  30  sailors.  To  this 
offer  the  Company  replied  they  had  not  the  means  to  send 
him  to  Virginia. 

The  first  "  guest  house  " — tavern  for  "  the  exclusive  accom- 
modation of  strangers  "  was  built  in  1621,  at  Jamestown  by 
Jabez  Williams. 

Sir  Francis  "Wyatt  held  three  commissions  as  Governor. 
During  his  first  administration  the  Virginia  Company  of 
London  had  their  charter  annulled  by  the  King — June  16, 
1624,  and  the  King  recommissioned  him,  and  he  was  there- 
fore the  first  Eoyal  Governor  of  Virginia,  until  May  17,  1626, 
when  as  heretofore  stated,  he  returned  to  Ireland. 

In  November  1639,  he  again  received  the  appointment  of 
Governor,  and  served  until  relieved  by  Sir  William  Berkeley, 


APPENDIX 


345 


in  February,  1642,  when  he  returned  to  England  where  he 
died  and  was  buried  at  Boxley,  Kent,  in  1641. 

Sir  George  Yeardley,  for  the  third  time  was  commissioned 
Governor  and  Captain  General,  on  March  4,  16-26,  and  re- 
sumed the  office,  May  17,  1626.  As  stated  heretofore,  he  died 
the  November  following. 

Captain  Francis  West,  as  President  of  the  Council  in  Vir- 
ginia, was  acting  Governor  of  Virginia  from  the  death  of  Sir 
Geo.  Yeardley— November,  1626— to  March  5,  1629,  when  he 
left  for  England.  He  was  the  younger  brother  of  Lord  Dela- 
ware, born  October  28,  15S6.  He  accompanied  Newport  to 
Virginia  in  1609,  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Council  of 
the  Colony  in  the  following  August.  In  November,  1622, 
he  was  appointed  Admiral  of  New  England,  and  while  hold- 
ing this  position  divided  his  time  between  the  two  colonies. 
While  on  a  visit  to  England  in  1629  he  strenously  opposed 
the  project  of  Lord  Baltimore  to  found  a  colony  in  Virginia. 
He  returned  to  Virginia  in  1631,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Council  there  in  1633.  It  is  not  known  when  or  where  he 
died,  though  there  is  a  tradition  in  the  family  that  he  was 
drowned. 

Doctor  John  Pott,  as  President  of  the  Council  in  Virginia, 
succeeded  Francis  West,  Acting  Governor,  from  March  5, 
L629,  until  the  arrrival  of  Sir  John  Harvey,  in  March,  1630. 
Doctor  P«.tl  accompanied  Sir  Francis  Wyatt  to  Virginia  in 
1621,  as  bis  physician,  and  soon  thereafter  he  was  elected  a 
mber  of  the  Council  in  Virginia.  During  the  July  follow- 
ing Sir  John  IlarYrvV.  arrival  in  the  Colony,  when  he  super- 
seded Doctor  Pott,  there  occurred  the  first  trial  by  a  jury,  and 
the  firsl  conviction  under  this  new  law  ever  in  Virginia, 
during  which  Doctor  John  Pott,  the  former  President  of  the 
Council,  and  who  was  also  the  former  Acting  Governor  of 
Virginia,  was  tried  and  convicted  before  the  first  jury  of  the 
Colony,  at  Jamestown,  for  cattle  stealing. 

Sir  John  Harvey,  was  commissioned  Governor  and  Captain 


346  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

General  of  Virginia  on  March  28,  1628,  but  did  not  reach 
Virginia  until  March,  1630,  when  he  superseded  Doctor  John 
Pott,  to  April  28,  1635,  when  he  left  Virginia  for  England  to 
answer  charges  against  him  made  by  the  Assembly  of  Vir- 
ginia. Harvey  was  said  to  be  the  most  unpopular  of  all  the 
royal  governors.  He  made  many  enemies  in  the  Colony  by 
siding  with  Maryland  in  the  dispute  between  that  Colony  and 
Virginia  for  the  possession  of  Kent  Island.  It  was  charged  that 
his  actions  in  this  contest  were  venal  and  dishonestly  selfish. 
Harvey  remained  in  England  until  April  2,  1636,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Virginia  with  a  new  Commission  as  Governor  and 
Captain  General  from  the  King. 

Captain  John  West,  as  President  of  the  Council  in  Vir- 
ginia was  Acting  Governor — from  April  28,  1635  to  April  2, 
1636,  when  Sir  John  Harvey  came  again  to  Virginia,  having 
been  reinstated  as  Governor  by  Charles  I.  Harvey  adminis- 
tered as  Governor  until  displaced  by  Sir  Francis  Wyatt,  in 
November  1639. 

Sir  William  Berkeley,  was  first  commissioned  Governor 
and  Captain  General,  August  9,  1641,  and  reached  Vir- 
ginia in  February,  1642.  He  continued  to  administer  the 
duties  of  Governor  until  June,  1644,  when  he  visited  Eng- 
land and  remained  there  until  June,  1645.  Richard  Kempe 
acted  as  Governor  during  Berkeley's  absence.  Upon  Berke- 
ley's return  to  Virginia  in  1645,  he  resumed  the  duties 
of  Governor  and  Captain  General  until  April  30,  1652, 
when  he  was  superseded  by  Richard  Bennet,  who  continued 
to  act  as  Governor  under  Cromwell  until  March  30,  1655, 
Bennet  was  succeeded  by  Edward  Digges  as  Acting  Governor, 
from  March  30,  1655  to  March  13,  1658,  when  Colonel 
Samuel  Matthews  was  elected  by  the  Assembly  to  succeed 
Digges.     Matthews  served  until  his  death  in  January,  1660. 

There  was  no  Governor  of  Virginia  f  u  the  death  of  Mat- 
thews until  March  23,  1660,  when  the  Assembly  re-elected  Sir 
William  Berkeley,  and  the  King  sent  him  a  commission  as 


APPENDIX  347 

Governor,  dated  July  31,  16G0.  Berkeley  administered  the 
duties  of  Governor  until  April  30,  1GG1,  when  he  went  to 
England  at  the  request  of  the  Colony  to  protest  against  the 
enforcement  of  the  Navigation  Act.  During  his  absence  upon 
this  occasion  Colonel  Francis  Morryson,  or  Morrison  acted  as 
Deputy  Governor.  Berkeley  returned  to  Virginia  December 
1662,  and  resumed  the  duties  of  Governor  until  April  27, 
1G7G.  When  he  was  recalled  by  the  King  upon  the  urgent 
request  of  the  most  influential  men  of  the  Colony.  In  the 
meantime  Thomas,  Lord  Culpeper  was  commissioned  by  the 
King,  on  July  8,  1GT5,  Governor  and  Captain  General  of  Vir- 
ginia, for  life.  Among  the  important  events  of  Berkeley's 
administration  was  the  second  Indian  massacre  on  April  18, 
1G-14,  during  which  it  is  estimated  there  were  between  400 
and  500  of  the  colonists  murdered.  "  Bacon's  Bebellion,"  the 
burning  of  Jamestown,  and  the  hanging  of  23  of  Bacon's  fol- 
lowers by  order  of  Berkeley,  are  among  the  events  which  made 
his  administration  so  unpopular  that  his  sovereign,  Charles 
II,  when  recalling  him,  said :  "  The  old  fool  has  taken  more 
lives  in  his  naked  country  than  I  have  taken  for  my  father's 
murder." 

Eifl  reply  to  the  Commissioners  sent  from  England  to  in- 
quire into  the  conditon  of  the  Colony  is  an  evidence  of  his 
intolerant  character.  "  Thank  God  !"  said  he  upon  that  occa- 
sion, "there  are  no  free  schools  or  printing  presses,  and  I 
e  there  will  be  none  for  a  hundred  3rears;  for  learning  has 
brought  disobedience  and  heresy  and  sects  into  the  world,  and 
printing  lias  divulged  these  and  other  libels." 

Richard  Kempe,  who  acted  as  Governor  during  Berkeley's 
absence  in  England  from  June,  1644,  to  June,  1645,  was  a 
member  of  the  Council  in  1G12,  and  its  President  in  1644. 
The  first  f.i-t  day,  and  Thanksgiving  day  ever  in  the  Colony 
was  ordered  during  Eempe's  administration,  at  Jamestown 
on  February  17,  1645.  If  was  enacted  by  the  Assembly  "For 
and  the  publici  benefit  of  the  Collony  to  the  end 


348  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

that  God  might  avert  his  heavie  judgements  that  are  now 
upon  us,  That  the  last  Wednesday  in  every  month  be  sett 
apart  for  a  day  of  ffast  and  humiliation,  And  that  it  be  wholly 
dedicated  to  prayers  and  preaching."  *  *  "  That  the  eigh- 
teenth day  of  April  be  yearly  celebrated  by  thanksgiving  for 
our  deliverance  from  the  hands  of  the  salvages." 

Eichard  Bennett,  who  acted  as  Governor  from  April  30, 
1652,  to  March  30,  1655,  was  a  Burgess  from  Warrasquoyoke 
in  1629,  and  a  member  of  the  Council  in  1642.  Because  of 
his  Puritan  religious  beliefs  he  left  Virginia  for  Maryland  to 
escape  persecution.  From  thence  he  went  to  England,  and  in 
1651  returned  to  Virginia  as  one  of  the  Parliament's  Commis- 
sioners to  effect  the  reduction  of  the  Colony  under  Cromwell. 
He  was  elected  Governor  by  the  Assembly,  and  subsequently 
sent  to  England  as  Agent  to  represent  Virginia's  interests  be- 
fore Parliament.  In  1666  he  was  made  Major  General  and 
given  command  of  the  greater  number  of  the  militia  of  the 
Colony.  In  the  following  year  he  served  as  Commissioner  to 
Maryland  in  the  endeavor  to  regulate  the  cultivation  and  sale 
of  tobacco.  The  names  of  Kandolph,  Lee,  Beverley,  Bland, 
and  Harrison  are  among  those  of  his  descendants  through 
intermarriages.  He  was  the  owner  of  Wayanoak  and  Kicquo- 
tan  plantations  on  the  James. 

Edward  Digges,  was  elected  President  of  the  Council  in 
Virginia  by  the  Assembly  March  30,  1655,  as  Governor,  under 
Cromwell,  succeeding  Bennet  until  March  13,  1658,  when  he 
went  to  England  as  one  of  the  agents  of  the  Colony.  He  was 
the  younger  son  of  Sir  Dudley  Digges,  of  Chilham,  County 
Kent,  England,  where  he  was  born  in  1620.  He  died  at  his 
family  seat  "  Bellefield,"  eight  miles  from  Williamsburg,  Va., 
March  15,  1675.  He  left  a  family  of  seven  daughters  and  six 
90ns.  Several  of  his  descendants  became  prominent  members 
of  the  Colony. 

Colonel  Samuel  Matthews,  President  of  the  Council  under 
Cromwell,  was  elected  Governor  by  the  Assembly  on  March 


APPENDIX  349 

13,  1658.  He  served  until  his  death  in  January,  1660.  He 
was  first  a  member  of  the  Council  in  1629,  where  he  served 
for  mamr  successive  terms.  He  was  County  Lieutenant  of  "War- 
wick County.  In  1630  he  built  the  first  fort  at  Point  Com- 
fort, now  known  as  "  Old  Point  Comfort."  He  was  humor- 
ously nicknamed  the  "  ancient  planter."  He  was  much 
esteemed  by  the  Colony  for  his  honesty  and  capability  as  a 
public  servant. 

Colonel  Samuel  Matthews  was  the  last  of  the  Gov- 
ernors under  the  reign  of  Cromwell.  He  was  elected  by  the 
•  inblv  on  March  13,  1658,  succeeding  Digges,  who  to- 
gether with  Bennet,  were  the  trio  of  Governors  of  Virginia 
during  Cromwell's  reign. 

Major  Francis  Morryson,  or  Morrison,  was  the  Deputy,  or 
Lieutenant  Governor  from  the  departure  of  Berkeley  to  Eng- 
land, April  30,  1661,  to  the  return  of  the  latter  to  Virginia, 
December  23,  1662. 

Morrison  first  reached  the  Colony  from  London  in  Novem- 
ber, 1649,  and  soon  thereafter  Governor  Berkeley  gave  him 
the  command  of  the  fort  at  Point  Comfort.  Subsequently  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Council.  In  1656  he  was  made 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Burgesses.  In  1663  he  went  to  Eng- 
land  as  {he  Agent  of  the  Colony.  He  died  in  London  shortly 
thereafter. 

Colonel  Herbert  Jeffreys  was  appointed  Acting  Governor 
from  April  27,  1676,  and  Captain  Robert  "Walter  appointed 
hie  Deputy  the  day  following.  On  November  11,  1676,  in 
consequence  of  the  death  of  Captain  Walter,  Jeffreys  was  re- 
commissioned  as  Lieutenanl  Governor,  and  continued  until 
death  on  December  30,  1678.  During  his  administra- 
tion hi  '  I  in  effecting  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the  In- 
dians in  which  f!  nowledged  the  power  of  the  Colony  by 
•  h  Indian  town  agreeing  to  pay  annually  to  the  Governor 
three  arrowe  for  their  land,  and  twenty  beaver  skins  for  their 
prot<  ction  by  the  Colony. 


350  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Sir  Henry  Chicheley  was  appointed  Deputy  Governor  of 
Virginia  December  30,  1678,  to  the  arrival  of  Lord  Culpeper 
on  May  10,  1680.  In  the  following  August  Lord  Culpeper 
returned  to  England  where  he  remained  until  November, 
1682.  During  this  absence  of  Lord  Culpeper  Sir  Henry 
Chicheley  acted  as  Governor.  In  1667  he  married  the  widow 
of  Captain  Ealph  Wormeley  of  "  Eosegill,"  Middlesex  County, 
subsequently  clerk  of  Lancaster  County.  In  1656  he  was  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses  from  Lancaster  County, 
and  in  1674  a  member  of  the  Council  in  Virginia.  He  died 
in  1692,  and  was  buried  at  Christ  Church. 

Thomas  Lord  Culpeper,  Baron  of  Thorsway,  on  July  8, 
1675,  was  appointed  Governor  and  Captain  General  for  life, 
but  did  not  reach  Virginia  until  May  10,  1680.  He  adminis- 
tered the  office  in  Virginia  until  August,  1680,  when  he  went  to 
England,  leaving  the  management  of  the  office  in  the  charge 
of  Sir  Henry  Chicheley.  In  this  year,  1680,  there  was  an 
act  of  Assembly  creating  towns  in  each  of  the  several  coun- 
ties, where  tobacco  for  shipment  was  to  be  carried.  This  act 
created  so  much  dissatisfaction  that  on  November,  1682,  Lord 
Culpeper  was  sent  to  the  Colony  to  quell  the  opposition  to  this 
act.  He  hung  several  of  the  ring  leaders,  and  imprisoned 
others;  amongst  the  latter  was  Major  Eobert  Beverley,  clerk 
of  the  House  of  Burgesses.  Culpeper  returned  to  England 
on  September  17,  1683,  and  died  there  in  1719.  He  was  sole 
proprietor  of  the  lands  known  as  the  "  Northern  Neck," 
heretofore  described  in  this  volume. 

Colonel  Nicholas  Spencer,  as  President  of  the  Council  in 
Virginia,  became  the  Acting  Governor  from  the  departure  of 
Culpeper,  until  April  16,  1681.  Spencer  was  a  member  of 
the  Council  and  its  Secretary  for  many  successive  terms. 

Francis  Howard,  Baron  Effingham,  was  commissioned 
Lieutenant  Governor  of  Virginia,  September  28,  1683 ; 
came  to  Virginia  and  exercised  the  duties  of  his  office  from 
April  16,  1684,  to  October  20,  1688.     On  June  23,  1685, 


APPENDIX 


351 


he  went  to  Albany  to  meet  the  Governor  of  New  York,  and 
to  treat  with  the  Indians  of  the  Five  Xations,  who  had  been 
making  incursions  into  Virginia.  At  this  conference  the  In- 
dians concluded  the  treaty  of  peace  by  presenting  to  the  Gov- 
ernors of  New  York  and  Virginia  beaver  and  raccoon  skins, 
and  by  digging  a  hole  in  the  earth  in  which  each  chief  of  a 
tribe  buried  a  hatchet.  He  returned  in  about  a  month.  In 
his  absence  Nathaniel  Bacon,  Sr.,  as  President  of  the  Council, 
administered  the  duties  of  Governor.  Effingham's  adminis- 
tration of  the  office  of  Governor  caused  very  great  dissatisfac- 
tion in  the  Colony.  He  endeavored  to  obstruct  the  use  of  the 
printing  press  in  the  Colony.  He  dissolved  the  Assembly, 
and  created  a  new  court  of  chancery,  giving  himself  much 
power.  He  greatly  increased  the  number  of  fees  of  the 
Courts,  and  it  is  stated  that  he  shared  them  with  the  officials. 
He  imprisoned  many  who  complained  of  his  acts.  In  1688 
upon  petitions  to  the  King  he  was  recalled. 

Nathaniel  Bacon,  Senior,  as  President  of  the  Council, 
acted  first  as  Governor  during  the  absence  of  Effingham  in 
Albany,  in  1684.  tTpon  the  final  departure  of  Effingham  to 
England,  October  20,  1688,  he  was  then  President  of  the 
Council,  and  as  such  became  the  Acting  Governor,  until  Octo- 
ber 16,  1690.  lie  was  born  in  1620,  and  died  March  16, 
1693.  He  was  a  cousin  "f  Nathaniel  Paeon.  Junior,  who  was 
the  leader  of  a  Bacon's  Rebellion."  during  the  administration 
of  Sir  William  Berkeley.  Nathaniel  Bacon,  Senior,  held 
many  i  E  honor  and  Irusl  in  the  Colony.     He  was  at  one 

time  Commander-in-chief  of  York  County,  and  a  member  of 
the  Council  more  than  forty  yeai  3. 

Sir  Francis  Nicholson,  reached  Virginia  October  16,  1600, 

Mud  served  ae   Lieutenanl   Governor  until  October  15,  1693, 

when  be  was  appointed  Governor  <>f  Maryland,  which  office  he 

held  until   December  !».  1698,  when  be  again  was  commis- 

aed    Lieutenanl    Governor  of   Virginia,  and   served   until 

goal  15,  L705,  when  he  was  recalled  by  the  King-     Nich- 


352  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

olson's  first  visit  to  America  was  as  Lieutenant  Governor  of 
the  Colony  of  New  York  under  Sir  Edmund  Andros  in  1686, 
when  all  the  colonies  north  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay  were 
formed  into  one  province.  His  administration  of  this  latter 
named  office  was  so  unsatisfactory  that  he  was  forced  to 
leave  for  England  in  a  hurry. 

While  Governor  of  Virginia  he  proposed  the  establishment 
of  a  postoffice,  and  recommended  the  building  of  a  college,  in 
honor  of  William  and  Mary,  he  contributing  with  the  Council 
about  2500  pounds  in  money  for  this  object.  The  result  was 
the  charter  of  William  and  Mary  College  in  1693.  The  seat 
of  government  of  the  Colony  was  removed  by  him  from  James- 
town to  Williamsburg,  in  1698. 

Upon  Nicholson's  return  to  England  he  was  commissioned 
to  fight  the  French  in  Canada,  and  subsequently  filled  the 
office  of  Governor  of  Nova  Scotia,  from  1712  to  1717,  and 
Governor  of  South  Carolina,  from  1721  to  1725.  He  died 
in  London  March  5,  1728. 

Sir  Edmund  Andros,  was  commissioned  Governor  of  Vir- 
ginia March  1,  1693,  and  reached  the  Colony  October  16,  fol- 
lowing. He  served  until  December  9,  1698,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  Sir  Francis  Nicholson,  as  heretofore  stated.  He 
was  born  in  London,  December  6,  1637.  He  was  distin- 
guished as  a  soldier  in  the  Dutch  wars,  and  held  several  im- 
portant appointments  in  the  British  American  Colonies, 
amongst  which  were  that  of  Governor  of  the  province  of  New 
York  from  1674  until  1681.  He  was  appointed  Governor  of 
the  several  colonies  consolidated  to  form  New  England,  which 
included  all  settlements  between  Maryland  and  Canada  except 
Pennsjdvania.  He  made  this  administration  very  unpopular, 
by  interfering  with  the  liberty  of  the  press,  levied  extraordi- 
nary taxes,  and  forced  proprietors  of  lands  to  obtain  from 
him  new  titles  at  great  expense.  He  revoked  the  charters  of 
the  colonies,  and  it  is  stated  he  went  to  the  Council  Chamber 
at  Hartford  with  an  armed  force,  demanding  the  charter  of 


APPENDIX  353 

Connecticut,  which  could  not  be  found  as  it  was  then  con- 
cealed in  the  famous  "  Charter  Oak." 

The  Virginians  welcomed  him  as  their  Governor  at  first  for 
the  reason  he  had  advocated  their  request  for  war  supplies. 
During  his  administration  the  William  and  Mary  College  was 
established,  and  an  act  was  passed  organizing  a  postoffice  de- 
partment for  Virginia,  with  a  central  and  sub-office  in  each 
county.  Thomas  Neale  was  appointed  the  first  postmaster, 
and  the  rates  of  postage  fixed. 

An  act  was  passed  during  his  administration  establishing 
the  first  fulling  mills  in  Virginia.  Principally  because  of 
contentions  with  James  Blair,  the  first  President  of  William 
and  Mary  College,  Governor  Andros  was  recalled  December 
9,  1698,  and  was  succeeded  by  Col.  Francis  Nicholson,  as 
stated.  From  1704  to  1706  Andros  was  Governor  of  Guern- 
sey.    He  died  in  London,  February  27,  1713. 

George  Hamilton  (Douglas),  Earl  of  Orkney,  was 
appointed  Governor-in-chief  of  Virginia  in  1697,  which  office 
he  held  until  his  death,  January  29,  1737.  He  drew  an 
annual  salary  as  Governor-in-chief  of  Virginia  for  forty  years, 
and  during  that  period  he  never  visited  America.  In  early 
youth  he  entered  the  military  service,  and  in  1695  was  created 
Earl  of  Orkney  for  his  gallantry.  He  participated  in  many 
of  the  battles  in  Ireland.  He  was  made  a  major-general  and 
Knight  of  the  Thistle,  by  Queen  Anne,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  House  of  Lords  for  many  years. 

Edward  Nott,  was  the  successor  of  Col.  Francis  Nicholson, 
as  Lieutenant  Governor,  from  August  15,  1705,  to  his  death, 
August  23,  1706.  Among  the  notable  events  of  his  admin- 
istration was  the  passage  of  an  act  by  the  Assembly  appro- 
priating 3000  pounds  for  the  building  of  a  palace  in  Wil- 
liamsburg for  the  Governor^  and  the  destruction  by  fire  of  the 
William  and  Mary  College.  He  was  buried  at  Old  Bruton 
Church,  Williamsburg,  where  the  General  Assembly  erected 
a  monument  to  his  memory. 


354  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Edmund  Jenings,  as  President  of  the  Council,  succeeded 
Nott  as  Acting  Governor,  from  August  23,  1706,  to  June  10, 
1710.  He  was  the  son  of  Sir  Edmund  Jenings,  a  member  of 
Parliament.  In  1696  he  was  the  Deputy  Secretary  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  for  many  years  was  a  member  of  the  Council.  Ha 
married  Frances,  the  daughter  of  Henry  Corbin,  a  name 
famous  in  Virginia.  His  daughter  Ariana  married  John 
Randolph,  Attorney  General  of  Virginia,  and  his  grandson 
Edmund  Randolph  became  Governor  of  Virginia  and  Attor- 
ney General  of  the  United  States  under  Washington. 

Robert  Hunter,  was  commissioned  Lieutenant  Governor  of 
Virginia,  April  4,  1707,  and  while  on  his  voyage  to  the  Colony 
was  taken  prisoner  by  the  French  and  carried  to  Paris, 
France.  Upon  his  release  he  returned  to  England,  and  was 
commissioned  as  Governor  of  New  York,  reaching  that 
Colony  in  1710,  with  about  2700  expatriated  Protestants  from 
the  palatinate  of  the  Rhine  whom  he  settled  on  the  banks  of 
the  Hudson,  and  as  an  inducement  for  a  subscription  of 
15,000  pounds  a  year  for  the  first  two  years,  he  promised  that 
the  Colony  would  send  to  England  tar  enough  to  supply  the 
navy  forever.  He  returned  to  England  in  1719,  without 
ever  visiting  Virginia. 

In  1727  he  was  commissioned  Governor  of  Jamaica,  where 
he  died  in  1734. 

Col.  Alexander  Spottswood,  served  as  the  Deputy  Governor 
of  the  Earl  of  Orkney,  from  June  23,  1710,  when  he  first 
reached  Virginia,  until  September  27,  1722.  His  ancestry 
was  of  the  ancient  Scottish  family  of  Spotteswoode,  a  name 
which  had  its  origin  when  surnames  first  became  hereditary  in 
Scotland.  His  progenitors  were  distinguished  men  in  the 
history  of  Scotland.  He  was  born  in  1676,  at  Tangier  Island, 
Africa;  where  his  father  was  then  physician  to  the  Governor 
and  the  English  garrison  stationed  there.  When  but  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  he  was  an  ensign  in  the  Earl  of  Bath's 
regiment  of  foot,  and  rapidly  rose  to  promotion  as  Lieutenant 


APPENDIX  355 

Colonel.     He  was  aangerously  wounded  by  the  French  at 
Blenheim,  while  serving  under  the  Duke  of  Marlborough. 

Spotswood  was  energetic  and  accomplished  much  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Colony.  When  he  reached  Virginia  he  found 
her  sea  coasts  defenseless,  and  a  prey  to  the  pirates  who  levied 
tribute,  and  committed  dastardly  crimes  within  the  Colony 
with  impunity.  He  ended  this  condition  of  affairs  by  the 
capture  and  execution  of  the  famous  pirate  Edward  Teach. 
He  pleased  the  Colony  by  granting  the  benefit  of  the  habeas 
corpus  act,  which  had  formerly  been  denied  them.  He  made 
peace  with  the  Indians  and  thereby  prevented  a  serious  up- 
rising of  the  powerful  Five  Nations. 

Spotswood  was  the  first  of  the  Governors  to  encourage  the 
extension  of  settlements  into  and  beyond  the  mountain  sec- 
tions of  Virginia.  With  this  purpose  in  view,  in  1716,  the 
Governor  headed  an  expedition  composed  of  some  of  the  most 
prominent  gentlemen  of  the  Colony.  They  spent  two  months 
in  travel  upon  horseback,  from  Williamsburg  and  return, 
westward  across  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains,  and  into  the 
beautiful  Valley  of  Virginia.  Upon  their  return  the  Gover- 
nor established  the  "  Transmontane  Order,"  or  "  Knights  of 
the  Golden  Horseshoe,"  he  giving  to  each  of  those  who  accom- 
panied him   a  miniature  golden  horseshoe   bearing  the  in- 

iption,  "Sic  Jurat  transcendere  Montes  "  (thus  he  swears 
to  cross  the  mountains).  These  were  given  to  whoever 
would  accept  them,  with  the  understanding  that  they  would 
comply  with  the  inscription.  Notwithstanding  this  induce- 
ment it  -was  not  until  1732  that  a  permanent  settlement  was 
made  west  of  the  mountains.  Tn  thai  year  sixteen  families 
from  Penrj  under  the  guidance  of  a  man  named  Joist 

BTite,  madi  m"  near  the  present  location  of  Winches- 

ter.    The  second  seat  ing  west  of  the  mountains  was  in  17:>  1  by 
Ben  Allen  and  t1  <  □  the  north  branch  of  the  Shcn- 

andoah  abont  ten  or  twelve  miles  south  <>f  the  present  site  of 
W<  ..     The  history  of  the  early  settlements  of  the  west- 


356  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

ern  parts  of  "Virginia  is  a  continuous  story  of  murderous  en- 
counters, captures,  and  reprisals  between  the  bold,  savage 
Indian  and  the  daring,  adventurous  white  settlers. 

Upon  Spotswood's  retirement  from  the  governorship,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  iron.  In  1730  he  was  made 
deputy  postmaster  general  for  the  American  Colonies,  which 
position  he  held  until  1739.  Among  the  names  of  his  de- 
scendants are  Aylett,  Braxton,  Brooke,  Berkeley,  Burwell, 
Bassett,  Chiswell,  Carter,  Campbell,  Colloway,  Cullen,  Clai- 
borne, Dandridge,  Dangerfield,  Dabney,  Fairfax,  Fontaine, 
Gaines,  Gilliam,  Kemp,  Kinlock,  Lloyd,  Lee,  Leigh,  Macon, 
Mason,  Manson,  Marshall,  Meriwether,  McDonald,  McCarthy, 
Nelson,  Parker,  Page,  Randolph,  Bobinson,  Smallwood, 
Skyring,  Taliaferro,  Temple,  Theweatt,  Taylor,  Walker, 
Waller,  Wickham,  Watkins. 

In  1740  he  was  commissioned  as  Major  General,  and  while 
engaged  in  collecting  his  forces  for  the  expedition  against 
Carthagena  he  died  at  Annapolis,  Maryland,  June,  7,  1740. 
His  body  was  conveyed  to  Temple  Farm,  at  Yorktown,  his 
former  country  residence. 

Hugh  Drysdale,  Lieutenant  Governor  from  September  22, 
1722,  until  his  death,  July  22,  1726.  There  was  no  very  im- 
portant event  occurring  to  mark  his  administration. 

Bobert  Carter,  as  President  of  the  Council  was  Acting 
Deputy  Governor  from  July  22,  1726,  until  October  13,  1727. 
Robert  Carter  was  for  many  years  agent  for  Lord  Fairfax,  the 
proprietor  of  the  Northern  Neck.  Carter  was  the  possessor 
of  large  landed  estates  and  thus  acquired  the  sobriquet  of 
"  King  Carter."  He  was  speaker  of  the  House  of  Burgesses 
for  several  years,  treasurer  of  the  colony,  and  a  member  of  the 
Council  for  many  years.  He  built  Christ  Church  in  Lan- 
caster County,  where  his  body  was  deposited  upon  his  death, 
August  4,  1732. 

William  Crooch  was  Lieutenant  Governor  from  October  13, 
1727,  to  June  7,  1740,  when  he  went  in  command  of  the  ex- 


APPENDIX 


357 


pedition  against  Carthagena,  which  Spotswood  was  in  charge 
of  at  his  death.  He  returned  to  Virginia  in  July,  1741,  and 
again  resumed  the  duties  of  Lieutenant  Governor. 

During  his  absence  in  command  of  the  expedition,  the 
duties  of  the  office  of  Lieutenant  Governor  were  performed  by 
James  Blair,  D.  D.,  the  first  President  of  William  and  Mary 
College.  Through  his  zeal  in  obtaining  contributions  of 
money  and  donations  of  land  he  was  of  great  assistance  in  the 
building  of  this  college. 

Gooch  having  returned  to  Virginia  in  1741  remained  as 
Lieutenant  Governor  until  June  29,  1749,  leaving  John 
Robinson,  who  was  President  of  the  Council,  as  Acting  Gov- 
ernor. 

William  Anne  Keppel,  second  Earl  of  Albemarle,  suc- 
ceeded George  Hamilton,  Earl  of  Orkney,  as  Governor-in- 
chief  of  Virginia,  September  C,  1737,  and  held  this  title  until 
his  death  in  Paris,  Prance,  December  22,  1754. 

He  was  born  at  Whitehall,  in  1702,  and  received  his  second 
Christian  name  from  Queen  Anno  who  was  sponsor  at  his 
baptism.  He  was  a  favorite  always  with  the  Crown,  receiving 
many  appointments  therefrom  amongst  which  were  that  of 
Coptain  in  1717  and  Lieutenant  General  in  1743.  During 
June  of  this  latter  year  he  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle 
of  Dettingen,  Netherlands.  In  1745  he  was  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Fontenoy. 

In  1748  was  embassador  to  France;  in  1750  created  a 
Knight  of  the  Garter;  was  made  a  member  of  the  Privy 
Council,  and  in  1752  was  one  of  the  Lords  Justices.  He  was 
in  Virginia. 

James  Blair,  as  Pn  Council  was  Acting  Gover- 

nor ■.  1".  in,  to  July,  l :  '  i.    IN1  was  the  entative 

.  hop  of  London  in  Virginia  and  as  such  was  called 
Commj  Blair.     He  also  way  the  founder  of  William  and 

I  lb  Hi: 

John  Robinson,  i  at  of  the  Council,  succeeded  Sir 


358  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

William  Gooch,  as  Acting  Governor  from  June  20,  1749,  to 
September  5,  1749,  when  he  died.  His  ancestors  settled  near 
Urbanna,  Middlesex  County,  Virginia,  where  he  was  born  in 
1683.  His  first  wife  was  Catherine,  daughter  of  Eobert 
Beverley,  and  his  second  was  Mrs.  Mary  Welsh,  of  Essex 
County,  Ya.  His  descendants  are  connected  through  inter- 
marriage with  many  of  the  famous  families  of  Virginia. 

Thomas  Lee,  as  President  of  the  Council  upon  the  death  of 
Robinson  was  acting  Governor  from  September  5,  1749,  until 
February  12,  1751,  when  he  died. 

He  was  a  descendant  of  Eichard  Lee,  who  settled  in  West- 
moreland County,  Virginia.  He  was  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Burgesses  for  many  years.  He  was  the  father  of  six  sons 
who  greatly  distinguished  themselves  in  the  war  for  freedom. 
They  were  Philip  Ludwell  and  Thomas  Ludwell  Lee,  Eichard 
Henry,  Francis  Lightfoot  and  William  and  Arthur  Lee. 
General  Eobert  E.  Lee  was  a  descendant  in  the  third  genera- 
tion of  Henry  Lee,  the  brother  of  Governor  Thomas  Lee,  being 
a  son  of  "  Light  Horse  Harry  "  Lee. 

Lewis  Burwell,  as  President  of  the  Council,  was  Acting 
Governor  from  February  12,  1751,  until  November  20,  1751. 
Died  in  1752.  He  was  born  at  the  family  seat,  known  as 
"  The  Grove,"  in  Gloucester  County,  Va.,  in  1710.  He  was 
a  Burgess  from  Gloucester  County  in  1736,  and  subsequently 
a  member  of  the  Council.  His  ancestor,  Major  Lewis  Bur- 
well,  settled  on  Carter's  Creek  in  Gloucester  County,  Vir- 
ginia, in  1640.  In  1646  this  ancestor  was  a  member  of  the 
delegation  sent  to  invite  Charles  II.  to  Virginia  as  its  king. 

Itobert  Binwiddie,  was  appointed  Lieutenant  Governor  of 
Virginia  on  July  20,  1751,  but  did  not  reach  the  Colony  until 
November  20,  following.  He  brought  with  him  his  wife, 
Eebecca  (nee  Affleck)  and  their  two  daughters.  He  served 
until  January,  1758,  when  he  was  relieved  at  his  own  request, 
and  returned  to  England.  He  was  born  at  the  family  seat, 
Germiston,  Scotland,  in  1693,  and  died  at  Clef  ton,  Bristol, 


APPENDIX  359 

Juty  27,  1770.  His  training  in  official  life  began  in  1727,  as 
Collector  of  Customs  in  the  Island  of  Bermuda,  which  place 
he  held  for  eleven  years.  For  his  efficiency  and  vigilance  in 
the  discharge  of  his  duties  in  the  latter  named  office,  he  was 
rewarded  by  the  appointment  of  Surveyor  General  of  the  Cus- 
toms of  the  Southern  Ports  of  the  Continent  of  America,  and 
Mas  also  made  a  member  of  the  respective  Councils  of  the 
American  Colonies. 

In  1743,  he  was  commissioned  as  "  Inspector  General,"  to 
examine  into  the  duties  of  the  Collector  of  Customs,  of  Bar- 
badoes,  "West  Indies.  He  got  into  bad  repute  with  the  Colony 
by  enforcing  certain  fees  for  land  patents.  In  1754  the 
House  of  Burgesses  sent  Peyton  Randolph — who  subsequently 
was  first  President  of  the  Continental  Congress — to  England, 
as  its  agent,  bearing  a  petition  to  the  King  for  relief  from 
these  fees.  It  was  under  Dinwiddie's  orders  that  Major 
George  "Washington  was  sent  in  1753  to  the  French  Com- 
mandant— Le  Gardeur  de  St.  Pierr< — on  the  Ohio  Eiver  to 
demand  by  whose  authority  an  armed  force  had  crossed  the 
Lakes,  and  to  urge  their  speedy  return.  This  controversy 
ended  with  Braddock's  appointment  as  Commander-in-chief 
in  Virginia,  and  his  defeat  subsequently^  near  Fort  Duquesne, 
on  July  9,  1755.  He  died  of  his  wounds  on  July  13,  and  was 
buried  at  a  place  called  Great  Meadows,  on  the  roadside  of  his 
retreating  army. 

John  Campbell,  Fourth  Earl  of  Loudoun,  was  appointed 
Captain  General  and  Governor-in-chief  of  Virginia,  on  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1756,  and  on  the  following  March  was  also  com- 
aed  as  Commander-in-chief  of  the  British  forces  in 
America.  He  was  another  one  of  the  Crown  favorites  who 
enjoyed  the  emoluments  of  Governor-in-chicf  of  Virginia 
without  ever  having  to  place  their  feel  upon  its  soil.  On  the 
•Inly  following  the  receipt  of  his  several  commissions  he 
reached  New  York,  and  from  thence  he  went  to  Albany  to 
ime  "immand  <>f  the  British  forces  acrai     '  the  French  at 


360  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

Forts  Oswego  and  Ontario,  but  because  of  his  inefficiency  as 
commander  he  was  recalled  to  England.  It  is  said  of  him 
that  he  "  was  like  King  George  upon  the  sign  posts,  always  on 
horseback  but  never  advancing."  In  1763  he  was  succeeded 
by  Sir  Jeffrey  Amherst  as  Governor-in-chief.  He  died  at 
Loudoun  Castle,  Ayrshire,  on  April  27,  1782. 

John  Blair,  as  President  of  the  Council,  was  Acting  Gov- 
ernor of  Virginia  from  January,  1758,  until  the  arrival  of 
Lieutenant  Governor,  Francis  Fauquier,  on  June  7th,  fol- 
lowing. 

Blair  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Archibald  Blair,  and  a  nephew  of 
Rev.  James  Blair,  the  first  President  of  William  and  Mary 
College.  He  was  born  at  Williamsburg,  Va.,  in  1689.  In 
1736  was  a  Burgess  from  James  City  County.  He  was 
Deputy  Auditor  of  the  Colony  from  1761  to  1768.  He  again 
served  as  Acting  Governor  from  the  death  of  Fauquier,  March 
3,  1768,  until  relieved  by  the  arrival  of  Lord  Botetourt,  in 
October  following.  It  was  said  of  him  that  he  laid  a  founda- 
tion brick  at  the  building  of  each  of  the  two  first  capital  build- 
ings in  Williamsburg,  a  period  of  fifty  years  intervening.  He 
died  November  5,  1771,  and  was  buried  at  Williamsburg, 
Virginia. 

Francis  Fauquier,  was  appointed  Lieutenant  Governor  of 
Virginia,  February  10,  1758,  and  reached  the  Colony  June 
7th,  following,  and  died  in  office  March  3,  1768.  Writers 
disagree  as  to  his  character  and  usefulness  as  the  Chief  Execu- 
tive of  Virginia.  By  some  he  is  classed  as  a  dissipated  gam- 
bler of  frivolous  tastes,  and  by  Thomas  Jefferson,  he  is  noted 
as  "the  ablest  of  the  Governors  of  Virginia."  During  his 
administration  the  House  of  Commons  passed  the  notorious 
"  Stamp  Act,"  which  was  contested  by  the  Assembly  in 
strong-worded  resolutions,  one  of  which  is  as  follows :  "  Re- 
solved, therefore,  That  the  General  Assembly  of  this  Colony 
have  the  only  and  sole  exclusive  right  and  power  to  lay  taxes 
and  impositions  upon  the  inhabitants  of  this  Colony,  and  that 


APPENDIX  361 

every  attempt  to  vest  power  in  any  person  or  persons  whatso- 
ever, other  than  the  General  Assembly  aforesaid,  has  a  mani- 
fest tendency  to  destroy  British  as  well  as  American  freedom." 
These  resolutions  were  debated  by  Patrick  Henry  and  passed 
in  May,  1765,  during  which  he  eloquently  advocated  their 
passage,  and  in  the  debate  which  followed,  used  the  mem- 
orable sentence :  "  If  this  be  treason,  make  the  most  of  it." 
Fauquier  becoming  alarmed  by  these  resolutions  dissolved  the 
Assembly,  instead  of  proroguing  it  to  a  future  day.  Fauquier 
died  at  Williamsburg,  Ya.,  on  April,  1768. 

Sir  Jeffrey  Amherst,  was  appointed  Captain  General  and 
Governor-in-chief  of  Virginia,  succeeding  the  Earl  of  Loudoun, 
in  1763.  He  was  never  in  Virginia,  and  when  the  ministry 
insisted,  at  the  instigation  of  the  King,  that  Amherst  should 
reside  in  the  Colony,  he  resigned  his  commission,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Lord  Botetourt,  on  October  28,  1768.  Sir  Jef- 
frey Amherst  was  born  in  Kent,  England,  January  29,  1717. 
In  1756  he  was  made  Major  General  commanding  an  expedi- 
tion against  Louisbnrg.  In  1758  he  was  appointed  Commander- 
in-chief  of  the  British  Army  in  America.  For  his  successes 
he  was  rewarded  by  thanks  of  Parliament,  and  created  a 
Knight  of  the  Bath,  In  1771,  was  appointed  Governor  of 
Guernsey,  and  from  1778  to  1795  was  commander  of  the 
British  Army.     Ho  died  in  Kent,  England,  August  3,  1797. 

Norborne  Berkeley,  Baron  de  Botetourt,  was  commissioned 
Governor-in-chief  of  Virginia,  in  July,  1768.  He  reached  Vir- 
ginia in  the  following  October,  and  served  until  his  death, 
October  15,  1770.  Ho  was  born  in  North  Gloucestershire, 
England,  in  1718,  and  in  1761  was  Colonel  of  the  militia  of 
his  native  place,  and  represented  that  shire  in  Parliament. 
In  1767  he  was  appointed  Constable  of  the  Tower  of  London. 

His  coming  to  A  a  was  pleasing  to  the  people  who 

were  assured  by  the  that  as  a  mark  of  honor  to  them 

the  residence  <>f  the  Governor-in-chief  should  forever  in  the 
future  be  within  the  Colony. 


362  LIFE    IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

He  was  noted  for  his  polished  and  affable  manners,  and 
although  he  was  not  possessed  of  large  means,  he  nevertheless 
was  extremely  luxurious  in  his  habits,  as  instanced  by  his 
attendance  upon  the  convening  of  the  Assembly,  when  he  was 
drawn  by  six  horses  to  his  coach,  followed  by  a  retinue  of 
guards  from  the  Governor's  palace  to  the  capitol. 

William  ITelson,  President  of  the  Council,  succeeded 
Berkeley  as  Acting  Governor  from  October  15,  1770,  until  the 
arrival  of  Lord  Dunmore,  in  February,  1772.  Nelson  died  at 
Yorktown,  York  County,  Virginia,  the  ancestral  home  of  this 
distinguished  family  whose  progenitor  was  "  Scotch  Tom " 
Nelson,  who  was  born  in  Penrith,  Cumberland  County,  Eng- 
land, and  who  subsequently  came  to  the  Colony  and  settled 
at  Yorktown  as  a  merchant. 

William  Nelson's  sons  distinguished  themselves  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Eevolutionary  Army,  and  one  of  them,  General 
Thomas  Nelson,  Jr.,  while  in  command  of  the  battery  which 
first  opened  upon  Yorktown  against  Cornwallis,  upon  learn- 
ing that  his  home,  the  "Nelson  House,"  in  that  town  was 
being  occupied  by  British  officers,  offered  five  guineas  reward 
to  the  gunner  for  every  shot  he  should  put  into  the  house. 
This  mansion  is  yet  standing,  and  by  the  holes  visible  in  its 
walls  indicates  the  belief  that  guineas  passed  hands  upon  that 
occasion. 

John  Murray,  Fourth  Earl  of  Dunmore,  was  the  last  of  the 
royal  Governors  of  Virginia.  He  was  appointed  Governor  of 
New  York  in  January,  1770,  and  Governor-in-chief  of  Vir- 
ginia in  July,  1771.  He  reached  Virginia  in  February,  1772, 
and  served  until  June  6,  1775,  when  he  fled  with  his  family, 
and  took  refuge  on  board  the  "  Torrey  "  man-of-war.  He  then 
collected  a  band  of  tories,  runaway  negroes  and  a  few  British 
soldiers,  and  with  a  small  naval  force  plundered  the  people 
along  the  James  and  York  Kivers.  On  January  1,  1776,  he 
set  on  fire  and  destroyed  Norfolk.  He  finally  established 
himself  on  Gwynn's  Island,  Matthews  County,  which  he  was 


APPENDIX  363 

soon  obliged  to  leave.  He  returned  to  England,  and  in  1786, 
was  appointed  Governor  of  Bermuda.  He  died  at  Ramsgate, 
England,  in  May,  1809. 


GOVERNORS   OE  THE  COMMONWEALTH  1776-1907. 

The  list  of  Virginia's  governors  since  1776  includes  some  of 
the  most  prominent  men  in  American  history,  embracing 
Presidents,  Cabinet  Officers,  Senators,  and  Members  of  the 
National  House  of  Eepresentatives,  and  members  of  the  State 
Legislature,  together  with  famous  orators,  military  com- 
manders and  jurists. 

Patrick  Henry,  born  May  29,  1736,  in  Hanover  Co.,  Vir- 
ginia, the  first  Governor  of  the  State,  was  chosen  Governor  by 
the  Assembly  from  June  29,  1776,  to  June  1,  1779. 

His  education  was  mainly  in  the  "  Old  Field  Schools."  He 
was  a  failure  as  a  merchant  and  a  farmer,  and  at  the  age  of 
29  years  took  up  the  study  of  law,  in  which  occupation  he 
developed  extraordinary  talent  as  an  advocate  of  law,  and  won 
great  fame  as  an  orator.  He  died  at  Red  Hill,  Charlotte 
County,  Virginia,  June  6,  1799. 

Thomas  Jefferson,  born  April  2,  1742,  in  Albemarle 
County,  Virginia,  Governor  from  June  1,  1779,  to  June  12, 
1781. 

He  had  served  in  the  General  Assembly,  and  was  a  member 

of  the  Continental  Congress,  and  was  for  two  terms  President 

of  the  United  States — 1801  to  1809.     His  greatest  honor  was 

thai  of  author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.     Died  at 

home  Monticello,  July  4,  1826. 

Thomas  Nelson,  Jr.,  born  at  what  is  now  known  as  York- 
town,  York  County,  Virginia,  Dec.  26,  1738.  Governor  from 
Juno  12,  1781  to  Nov.  30,  1781,  when  he  resigned  on  account 
of  ill  health.  Ee  was  the  son  of  Win.  Nelson,  President  of 
I    inncil  and  Acting  Governor,  1770  to  1771.     He  was  a 


364  LIFE   IN    OLD  VIRGINIA 

renowned  patriot  during  the  Revolution,  and  contributed  his 
ample  means  to  the  cause  of  freedom.  Died  in  Hanover 
County,  Virginia,  Jan.  4,  1789. 

Benjamin  Harrison,  born  in  Charles  City  County,  Virginia, 
in  1740.  Governor  from  Nov.  30,  1781,  to  Nov.  30,  1784. 
He  subsequently  served  in  the  State  Legislature.  His  third 
son,  William  Henry  Harrison,  was  the  ninth  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  his  great  grandson,  Benjamin  Harrison 
was  the  occupant  of  that  exalated  office  from  1889  to  1893. 
Died  April,  1791,  in  Charles  City  County,  Virginia. 

Patrick  Henry,  served  a  second  time  as  Governor,  from 
Dec.  1,  1784,  to  Dec.  1,  1786,  when  he  resigned. 

Edmund  Bandolph,  born  in  Williamsburg,  Virginia,  Aug. 
10,  1753.  Governor  from  Dec.  1,  1786  to  Dec.  1,  1788.  Was 
appointed  by  Washington  the  first  Attorney  General  of  the 
United  States.  In  1794,  he  succeeded  Thomas  Jefferson  as 
Secretary  of  State  in  Washington's  Cabinet.  Died  in  Fred- 
erick County,  Virginia,  Sept.  12,  1813. 

Beverley  Randolph,  born  in  Henrico  County,  Virginia,  in 
1754.  Governor  from  Dec.  1,  1788,  to  Dec.  1,  1791.  It  was 
during  his  term  that  a  part  of  Virginia  was  ceded  to  the 
United  States  for  the  national  seat  of  the  Government.  This 
was  subsequently  receded  to  the  State,  and  is  now  in  the 
County  of  Alexandria.     Died  at  Green  Creek,  Feb.,  1797. 

Henry  Lee  (Light  Horse  Harry),  born  Jan.  29,  1756,  in 
Westmoreland  County,  Virginia.  Governor  from  Dec.  1, 
1791,  to  Dec.  1,  1794. 

His  military  career,  in  command  of  "  Lee's  Legion,"  during 
the  Eevolutionary  War,  gained  him  much  distinction.  He 
was  familiarly  known  as  "Light  Horse  Harry"  Lee.  Was 
severely  wounded  by  a  riotious  mob  in  Baltimore,  Maryland, 
in  1813,  while  in  the  attempt  to  aid  his  friend,  the  editor  of 
the  Federal  Republican  newspaper  of  that  city.  In  1813,  he 
went  to  the  West  Indies  to  recover  from  his  wounds,  and  on 


APPENDIX 


365 


March  25,  1818,  he  died  on  Cumberland  Island,  Georgia,  en 
route  to  his  home. 

Kobert  Brooke,  born  in  1751,  was  Governor  from  Dec.  1, 
1794  to  Dec.  1,  1796.  He  was  Attorney  General  of  Virginia 
for  many  years.     Died  in  1799. 

James  Wocd,  born  in  Frederick  County,  Virginia,  in  1750. 
Governor  from  Dec.  1,  1796,  to  Dec.  1,  1799.  During  the 
Revolutionary  War  he  gained  a  high  reputation  as  an  officer. 
In  recognition  of  his  services  Wood  County,  now  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, was  named  in  his  honor.  Died  in  Eichmond  City,  Vir- 
ginia, June  16,  1813. 

James  Monroe,  born  in  Westmoreland  County,  Virginia, 
April  28,  1758.  In  1825  removed  to  Loudoun  County,  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  was  chosen  Justice  of  the  Peace.  Was  the 
author  of  the  famous  "  Monroe  Doctrine."  Was  twice  elected 
Governor;  the  first  term  from  Dec.  1,  1799  to  Dec.  1,  1802. 
During  this  term  occurred  what  is  known  as  "  Gabriel's  In- 
surrection," an  uprising  of  slaves  for  their  freedom,  which  he 
promptly  quelled.  Was  one  of  the  Commissioners  (with 
Livingstone)  to  France  to  negotiate  the  Louisiana  Purchase. 
Was  twice  elected  President  of  the  United  States.  Died  in 
Xew  York  City,  July  4,  1831.  His  remains  were  brought  to 
Virginia,  July  5,  1858,  to  Hollywood  Cemetery,  Richmond. 

John  Page,  born  at  "  Eosewell,"  Gloucester  County,  Vir- 
ginia, April  17,  1743.  This  was  the  famous  seat  of  the  In- 
dian Emperor,  Powhatan,  and  the  place  of  rescue  of  Captain 
John  Smith  by  Pocahontas.  He  was  distinguished  for  his 
ardor  in  the  cause  of  freedom  during  (he  Revolutionary  War. 
It  is  raid  lie  stripped  the  lead  covering  from  his  mansion  to 
mould  into  bullets  for  his  command.  Was  Governor  from 
Dec.  1,  1802,  to  Dec.  1,  1805.  Died  in  Richmond  City,  Vir- 
ginia. Oct.  11,  1808,  and  was  buried  in  St.  John's  Church- 

rd. 

William  H.  Cabell,  horn  Dec.  16,  1772,  at  Poston  Hill, 
Cumberland  County,  Virginia.     <  >r  from  Dec.  1,  1805, 


366  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

to  Dec.  1,  1808.  "Was  subsequently  elected  Judge  of  the  Gen- 
eral Court,  and  later  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals.  Died 
in  Richmond,  Virginia,  January  12,  1853. 

John  Tyler,  born  Feb.  28,  1747,  in  James  City  County,  Vir- 
ginia. Governor  from  Dec.  1,  1808,  to  January  11,  1811. 
Was  subsequently  appointed  by  President  Madison  Judge  of 
the  U.  S.  District  Court  of  Virginia.  Was  the  father  of 
John  Tyler  who  was  Governor  in  1825  to  1827,  and  Vice- 
President,  and  subsequently  President  of  the  United  States. 
Died  Jan.  6,  1813,  at  his  home. 

James  Monroe,  Governor  from  Jan.  11,  1811,  to  Nov.  25, 
1811,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  office  of  Secretary  of 
State  in  President  Madison's  Cabinet.  This  was  his  second 
term  as  Governor.  Served  two  successive  terms  as  President 
of  the  United  States,  from  1817  to  1825. 

George  William  Smith,  born  in  1730,  in  Essex  County, 
Virginia.  Lieutenant  Governor  and  Acting  Governor  from 
Nov.  25,  1811,  to  Dec.  26,  1811.  Was  one  of  the  victims  of 
the  burning  of  the  Richmond,  Virginia,  theatre,  while  trying 
to  rescue  his  little  son,  on  the  night  of  Dec.  26,  1811. 

Peyton  Randolph,  born  in  Wiliamsburg,  Virginia,  was  the 
son  of  former  Governor  Edmund  Randolph..  He  was  Acting 
Governor  and  senior  member  of  the  Council  of  State,  from 
Dec.  26,  1811,  to  Jan.  3,  1812. 

James  Barbour,  born  in  Orange  County,  Virginia,  June 
10,  1775.  Governor  from  Jan.  3,  1812,  to  Dec.  1,  1814. 
During  his  term  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain  occurred. 
It  is  said  he  was  so  patriotic  as  to  pledge  his  own  fortune  to 
aid  the  State  in  raising  funds  to  equip  the  soldiers  of  Virginia 
during  that  war.  Was  member  of  the  United  States  Senate 
from  1815  to  1825.  Barbour  County,  now  in  West  Virginia, 
was  named  in  his  honor.  Died  at  Barboursville,  Barbour 
County,  then  in  the  State  of  Virginia,  June  7,  1842. 

Wilson  Gary  Nicholas,  born  in  Williamsburg,  Virginia- 
Jan.  31,  1761.     Governor  from  Dec.  1,  1814,  to  Dec.  1,  1816. 


APPENDIX  367 

Before  his  election  as  Governor  he  had  served  in  the  United 
States  House  of  Representatives,  and  in  the  United  States 
Senate.  Died  Oct.  10,  1820,  at  the  home  of  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son Randolph,  his  son-in-law,  near  Melton,  Cabell  County, 
West  Virginia. 

James  B.  Preston,  born  in  Montgomery  County,  Virginia, 
June  21,  1774.  Governor  from  Dec.  1,  1816,  to  Dec.  1,  1819. 
His  ancestors  came  from  Londonderry,  Ireland.  Was  Colo* 
nel  of  12th  U.  S.  Infantry  during  1812-13,  and  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  war  with  Great  Britain.  The  University  of 
Virginia  was  established  during  his  term.  He  was  subse- 
quently made  postmaster  at  Richmond,  Virginia.  Died  May 
4,  1S43,  in  Montgomery  County.  Preston  County,  now  in 
West  Virginia,  was  named  in  his  honor. 

Thomas  Mann  Eandolph,  born  in  Goochland  County,  Vir- 
ginia, Oct.  1,  1765.  Governor  from  Dec.  1,  1819,  to  Dec.  1, 
1822.  Was  honored  as  one  of  Virginia's  heroes  during  the 
war  with  Great  Britain,  1812-15.  His  wife  was  Martha 
Jefferson,  daughter  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  Was  member  of 
United  States  Congress  from  1803  to  1807.  Died  at  Mon- 
ticello,  the  home  of  his  father-in-law,  June  20,  1828. 

James  Pleasants,  Jr.,  born  in  Goochland  County,  Virginia, 
Oct.  24,  1769.  Governor  from  Dec.  1,  1822,  to  Dec.  1,  1825. 
Was  member  of  Virginia  Legislature,  1789  to  1799  and  sub- 
sequently was  Clerk  of  Virginia  House  of  Delegates.  Was 
member  of  the  United  States  House  of  Representatives.  Died 
in  Goocbland  County,  Virginia,  Nov.  9,  1836. 

John  Tyler,  born  at  Greenway,  Charles  City  County,  Vir- 
ginia, March  20,  1790.  Governor  from  Dec.  1,  1825,  to 
March,  1S27,  when  he  resigned  to  succeed  John  Randolph  in 

nate,  and  in  1833  was  re-elected  to  United 
Si.  ate.     Was  Ihe  son  of  former  Governor  John  Tyler. 

Was  i.  of  Virginia  House  of  Delegates  in  1811  and 

1    33,   and    was  p  of   United   States   Congress,   1816 

to   1821.     Was   Vice-President  of  the  United   States   from 


368  LIFE   IN   OLD  VIRGINIA 

March  4,  1841,  to  April  4,  1841,  when  he  succeeded  to  the 
office  of  President  of  the  United  States  upon  the  death  of 
President  William  Henry  Harrison.  Memher  of  Confede- 
rate Congress  during  the  Civil  War.  Died  in  the  "  Ballard  " 
House,  Bichmond,  Virginia,  Jan.  17,  1862,  and  was  buried  at 
Hollywood  Cemetery,  Eichmond,  Virginia. 

William  B.  Giles,  born  in  Amelia  County,  Virginia,  Aug. 
12,  1762.  Governor  from  March,  1827,  to  March,  1830. 
Was  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate  in  1804.  Died  at 
the  family  seat,  known  as  "  The  Wigwam,"  in  Amelia  County, 
Virginia,  Dec.  4,  1830.  Giles  County  was  named  in  his 
honor. 

John  Floyd,  born  in  Jefferson  County,  now  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, April  24,  1783.  Governor  from  March,  1830,  to 
March,  1834.  Was  surgeon  in  the  army  during  the  second 
war  with  great  Britain,  1812  to  1815.  Was  a  member  of 
United  States  Senate  before  his  election  as  Governor.  Dur- 
ing his  term  as  Governor  occurred  what  is  known  as  the  "  Nat 
Turner  Insurrection,"  of  slaves,  which  terminated  after  the 
killing  of  a  few  of  the  whites.  Died  in  Montgomery  County, 
Virginia,  Aug.  15,  1837.  Floyd  County,  Virginia,  named  in 
his  honor. 

Littleton  W.  Tazewell,  born  in  Accomac  County,  Virginia, 
Dec.  17,  1774.  Governor  from  March,  1834,  to  April  30, 
1836,  when  he  resigned  because  of  disagreement  with  State 
Legislature.  Was  member  of  the  United  States  House  of 
Eepresentatives  at  a  very  early  age.  Was  subsequently  a 
member  of  the  United  States  Senate.  Died  in  Norfolk,  Vir- 
Virginia,  May  6,  1S60. 

Wyndham  Robertson,  born  near  the  site  of  Manchester, 
Chesterfield  County,  Virginia,  Jan.  26,  1803.  Governor 
from  April  30,  1836  to  March,  1837,  this  being  the  remainder 
of  the  term  of  Governor  Tazewell.  Died  at  his  home  in 
Washington  County,  Virginia,  Feb.  11,  1888. 


APPENDIX  369 

David  Campbell,  born  in  Smyth  County,  Virginia,  Aug.  2, 
1779.  Governor  from  March,  1837,  to  March,  1840.  He 
gained  distinction  during  the  War  of  1812  to  1815.  Died 
March  19,  1859,  at  Abingdon,  Washington  County,  Virginia. 

Thomas  Walker  Gilmer,  born  in  Albemarle  County,  Vir- 
ginia, April  G,  1802.  Governor  from  March,  1840,  to  March 
18,  1841,  when  he  resigned  because  of  disagreement  with  the 
State  Legislature  relative  to  controversy  with  Governor 
Seward,  of  New  York,  concerning  the  surrender  of  men 
accused  of  abducting  slaves  from  Virginia.  Was  subsequently 
elected  to  the  United  States  Congress,  and  Chairman  of  Ways 
and  Means  Committee  in  that  body.  Was  Secretary  of  Navy 
in  President  Tyler's  Cabinet.  Was  killed  in  the  explosion  of 
United  States  Steamer  Princeton,  in  1S44. 

John  Mercer  Patton,  born  in  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  Aug.  10, 
1797.  On  the  resignation  of  Governor  Gilmer,  he  was  senior 
councilor,  and  as  such  Acting  Governor,  until  the  expiration 
of  his  term  as  senior  councilor,  March  31,  1841.  Died  in 
Richmond  City,  Virginia,  Oct.  28,  1858. 

John  Rutherford,  born  in  Richmond  City,  Virginia,  Dec.  2, 
1792.  Was  Senior  Councilor  upon  the  expiration  of  Acting 
Governor  John  Mercer  Patton's  term,  and  as  such  served  as 
Acting  Governor,  from  March  31,  1841,  to  March  31,  1842, 
when  his  term  also  as  Senior  Councilor  expired,  and  there- 
fore his  term  as  Acting  Governor  also  expired.  Died  in  Rich- 
mond City,  Virginia,  Aug.  3,  1SGG. 

John  M.  Gregory,  born  in  Charles  City  County,  Virginia, 
July  8,  1804.  At  the  expiration  of  Acting  Governor  Ruther- 
ford's term  as  Senior  Councilor,  be  succeeded  as  Acting  Gov- 
ernor and  Senior  Councilor,  from  March  31,  1842,  to  Jan.  1, 
1843.     Tin's  com  unexpired  term  to  which  Gover- 

nor Gilmer  hail  been  elected,  lie  was  known  as  a  man  of 
great  energy,  and  perseverance.  He  began  life  as  a  farm 
hand,  and  by  his  own  industry  succeeded  in  obtaining  the 
highest  honor  in  the  Slate.  Died  in  Williamsburg,  Vir- 
24 


370  LIFE   IN    OLD   VIRGINIA 

ginia,  in  1887,  and  was  buried  at  Shockoe  Hill  Cemetery, 
Richmond  City,  Virginia. 

James  McDowell,  born  in  Rockbridge  County,  Virginia, 
Oct.  11,  1795.  Governor  from  Jan.  1,  1843,  to  Jan.  1,  1846. 
Was  subsequently  elected  to  the  United  States  House  of 
Representatives.  Died  at  Lexington,  Rockbridge  County, 
Virginia,  Aug.  24,  1851. 

William  Smith,  born  in  King  George  County,  Virginia, 
Sept.  6,  1797.  Governor  from  Jan.  1,  1846,  to  Jan.  1,  1849. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  emigrated  to  California, 
where  he  remained  two  years,  after  which  he  returned  to 
Virginia,  and  was  made  a  member  of  the  United  States 
House  of  Representatives  four  successive  terms.  Contracted 
for  carrying  United  States  mail  from  Washington  to  Mil- 
ledgeville,  Georgia,  in  1831,  and  because  of  his  repeated  de- 
mands for  extra  compensation  was  given  the  nick  name  of 
"Extra  Billy."  Was  Colonel  of  the  47th  Virginia  Vol- 
unteers during  the  Civil  War,  at  the  age  of  64,  and  was  pro- 
moted to  Major  General  in  the  Confederate  Army.  Was 
again  Governor  of  Virginia,  at  the  date  of  the  evacuation  of 
Richmond  City,  by  the  Confederate  Army.  Died  in  Warren- 
ton,  Fauquier  County,  Virginia.  May  18,  1887. 

John  B.  Floyd,  born  in  that  part  of  Montgomery  County, 
Virginia,  now  Pulaski  County,  June  1,  1806.  Governor  from 
Jan.  1,  1849,  to  Jan.  1,  1852.  Was  son  of  former  Governor 
John  Floyd.  Was  Secretary  of  War  in  President  Buchanan's 
Cabinet.  May,  1861,  was  made  Brigadier  General  in  the  Con- 
federate Army.  Died  Aug.  26,  1863,  near  Abingdon,  Wash- 
ington County,  Virginia. 

Joseph  Johnson,  born  in  Orange  County,  Few  York,  Dec. 
10,  1785.  Governor  from  Jan.  1,  1852,  to  Jan.  1,  1856.  He 
was  the  first  Governor  since  the  Revolutionary  War  born  out- 
side of  the  State,  and  the.  first  Governor  of  Virginia  elected 
by  popular  vote,  when  the  term  of  office  was  extended  to  four 


APPENDIX 


371 


years.  Prior  to  this  election  the  governors  of  Virginia  were 
elected  by  the  General  Assembly.  He  served  eight  terms  in 
the  United  States  House  of  Representatives  Died  Feb.  27, 
1877. 

Henry  A.  Wise,  born  at  Drunmiondtown,  Accomac 
County,  Virginia,  Dec.  3,  1803.  Governor  from  Jan.  1,  1856, 
to  Jan.  1,  1860.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  county  Lieu- 
tenant of  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Virginia  under  King  George 
III.  His  maternal  grandfather,  General  John  Cropper,  won 
distinction  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  His  family  was 
greatly  distinguished  in  Virginia.  The  Governor  was  highly 
educated,  and  prominent  as  a  debater.  During  his  term 
occurred  the  "John  Brown"  raid  at  Harpers  Ferry  to  free 
the  slaves.  Was  a  member  of  the  United  States  House  of 
Representatives  six  terms.  Was  Brigadier  General  in  the 
Confederate  Army  during  the  Civil  "War.  Died  in  Richmond 
City,  A*a.,  Sept.  12,  1876. 

John  Letcher,  born  at  Lexington,  Rockbridge  County,  Vir- 
ginia, March  29,  1813.  Governor  from  Jan.  1860,  to  Jan.  1, 
1864.  During  his  term  the  State  of  Virginia  seceded  from 
the  Union  and  joined  the  Confederate  States  of  America.  He 
was  a  self  made  man,  of  Scotch  Irish  descent.  "Was  a  member 
of  the  United  States  House  of  Representatives  prior  to  his 
election  as  Governor.  Died  in  Lexington,  Rockbridge 
County,  Virginia  Jan.  26,  188!. 

William  Smith,  Governor  from  Jan.  1,  1864,  to  May  9, 
15.     This  was  his  second   term;  his  first  term  extended 
from  IMC  to  1849.     "When  Richmond  City  was  evacuated  by 
the  Confederate  forces,  Apr.  3,  1865,  he  moved  the  seat  of 
Go  nt  to    Lynchburg,   and    subsequently  to   Danville. 

He  finally  surrendered  to  the  Federal  authorities. 

Francis  H.  Pierpont,  horn  in  Monongalia  County,  now  in 

t    Virginia,    Jan.    25,    1815.     Governor   of  the   western 

f  Old  Virginia,  now  in  Wesl   Virginia,  which  re- 


372  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

fused  to  secede  from  the  Union.  His  headquarters  were 
established  at  Wheeling,  now  in  West  Virginia,  where  he  re- 
mained until  these  western  counties  were  admitted  into  the 
Union  as  a  separate  State,  under  the  name  of  West  Virginia, 
June  19,  1863,  when  he  established  his  headquarters  at 
Alexandria  City,  Virginia,  until  May,  1865,  when  he  moved 
to  Richmond,  Virginia,  after  its  evacuation  by  the  Confede- 
rate government.  Here  he  continued  to  exercise  the  duties  of 
the  office  until  the  appointment  of  Henry  H.  Wells  as  Pro- 
visional Governor  under  military  rule,  Apr.  16,  1868.  Died 
in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  March  24,  1899.  Was  one  of  the  Gov- 
ernors who  was  born  in  a  losr  cabin. 

O 

Henry  H.  Wells,  born  in  Rochester,  New  York,  Sept.  17, 
1823.  Was  Provisional  Governor  from  April  16,  1868,  to 
April  21,  1869.  Appointed  by  General  Schofield,  of  the 
Federal  Army,  commanding  the  First  Military  District  of 
Virginia.  Was  Brigadier  General  in  Federal  Army  during 
the  Civil  War.  Was  a  practicing  attorney  at  law  in  Rich- 
mond City,  Virginia,  when  appointed  governor. 

Gilbert  C.  Walker,  born  in  Binghampton,  Few  York,  Aug. 
1,  1832.  Provisional  Governor  from  April  21,  1869,  to  Jan. 
1,  1870,  appointed  by  General  E.  R,  S.  Canby  of  the  Fed- 
eral Army,  who  succeeded  General  Schofield  as  Commander 
First  Military  District  of  Virginia,  under  the  Reconstruction 
Acts  of  the  United  States  Congress.  Walker  was  elected 
Governor  by  the  Liberal,  or  Conservative  Party,  and  served 
from  Jan.  1,  1870  to  Jan.  1,  1874.  Was  subsequently  elected 
to  Congress  from  Virginia  on  the  Conservative  Party  ticket. 
He  removed  to  New  York  City  where  he  died  May  12,  1885. 

James  L.  Kemper,  born  in  Madison  County,  Virginia,  June 
12,  1823.  Governor  from  Jan.  1,  1874,  to  Jan.  1,  1878. 
Served  as  a  Captain  in  the  Mexican  War  under  General 
Zachary  Taylor.  Was  Brigadier  General  in  the  Confederate 
Army  during  the  Civil  War.  Died  in  Orange  County,  Vir- 
ginia, April  7,  1895. 


APPENDIX 


3T3 


Frederick  W.  M.  Eolliday,  born  in  Winchester,  Va.,  Feb. 
22,  1827.  Governor  from  Jan.  1,  1878,  to  Jan.  1,  1882. 
Was  Colonel  of  the  33rd  Virginia  Infantry  of  the  famous 
"  Stonewall  Jackson  "  Brigade.  Was  also  a  member  of  the 
Confederate  Congress.  His  ancestors  were  of  Scotch  Irish 
descent.     Died  in  Winchester,  Virginia,  May  20,  1899. 

William  E.  Cameron,  born  in  Petersburg,  Virginia,  Nov. 
29,  1842.  Governor  from  Jan.  1,  1882,  to  Jan.  1,  1886.  Was 
elected  on  the  Readjuster  ticket ;  his  opponent  was  Hon.  John 
W.  Daniel,  one  of  the  present  United  States  Senators  from 
Virginia.  Was  Captain  in  the  Confederate  Army,  and  won 
fame  as  an  editor  at  several  respective  periods,  of  the  Index- 
Appeal,  Norfolk  Virginian,  and  Richmond  Whig,  of  the  pub- 
lic press,  of  Virginia.  He  is  one  of  the  living  ex-governors 
of  Virginia. 

Fitzhugh  Lee,  born  at  Clermount,  Fairfax  County,  Vir- 
ginia, Nov.  19,  1835.  Governor  from  Jan.  1,  1886  to  Jan.  1, 
1890.  He  was  of  the  famous  family  of  Lees  in  Virginia. 
Governor  Henry  Lee,  1791  to  1794,  was  his  paternal  grand- 
father, and  George  Mason,  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  was  his  great  grandfather  on  the  maternal  side. 
Was  a  graduate  of  West  Foint  U.  S.  Military  Academy,  and 
subsequently  Lieutenant  of  the  Second  U.  S.  Cavalry,  doing 
service  in  the  West  prior  to  the  Civil  War,  during  which  latter 
period  he  entered  the  Confederate  Army  and  was  appointed 
Brigadier  General.  After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  he  en- 
joyed the  unique  distinction  of  again  being  appointed  an 
officer  in  the  United  States  Army.  This  Latter  appointment — 
as  IT.  S.  Brigadier  General — was  made  by  President  McKin- 

.  wlm  served  in  the  Federal  Army  during  the  period  of  the 
i  War,  while  Fitzhugh  Lee  was  a  Brigadier  General  in  the 
Federate  Army.     Died   in  \  on,  D.  C,  April  28, 

L905. 

Philip  W.  McKinney,  born  in  Buckingham  County,  Vir- 
ginia, March  l"    L834.     Go  from  Jan.  1,  1890,  to  Jan. 


374  LIFE   IN   OLD   VIRGINIA 

1,  1894.  Was  Captain  of  the  Buckingham  Troop  in  the  Con- 
federate Army.  Was  member  of  State  Legislature.  His 
opponent  in  the  election  for  Governor  was  the  famous  ex- 
Confederate  General  William  Mahone.  Died  in  Farmville, 
Prince  Edward  County,  Virginia,  March  1,  1899. 

Charles  T.  O'Ferrall,  born  in  Frederick  County,  Virginia, 
Oct.  21,  1840.  Governor  from  Jan.  1,  1894,  to  Jan.  1,  1898. 
Enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Confederate  Army,  and  promoted 
to  Colonel.  Was  elected  several  terms  to  the  United  States 
House  of  Representatives  from  his  native  State. 

J.  Hoge  Tyler,  born  in  Caroline  County,  Virginia,  Aug.  11, 
1846.  Governor  from  Jan.  1,  1898,  to  Jan.  1,  1902.  Like 
many  of  the  famous  men  of  Virginia  he  attended  the  "  Old 
Field  Schools."  Was  formerly  Lieut.  Governor,  and  member 
of  the  Virginia  Legislature.  He  was  the  third  Tyler  to  fill 
the  exalted  office  of  Governor,  and  noted  as  his  predecessors 
as  an  exemplar  of  the  unpretentious,  thorough  Virginia  gen- 
tleman.    Living. 

Andrew  J.  Montague,  born  in  Campbell  Co.,  Virginia,  Oct. 
3,  1862.  Governor  from  Jan.  1,  1902,  to  Feb.  1,  1906,  the 
term  extended  under  the  new  Constitution.  His  father, 
Eobert  L.  Montague,  a  distinguished  jurist  and  statesman  of 
Middlesex  County,  Virginia,  was  familiarly  nicknamed  the 
"  Eed  Fox  of  Middlesex  "  because  of  the  color  of  his  hair  and 
the  able  manner  in  which  he  managed  his  cases  in  court.  In 
1893  was  appointed  by  President  Cleveland  United  States 
District  Attorney  for  the  Western  District  of  Virginia.  Was 
elected  Attorney  General  of  Virginia  in  1898.     Living. 

Claude  A.  Swanson — The  present  incumbent — was  elected 
Governor  to  serve  from  Feb.  1,  1906,  to  Feb.  1,  1910.  Is  one 
of  the  energetic  men  who  rise  by  self  effort.  Taught  school, 
clerked  in  store,  and  graduated  in  law.  Was  member  of  the 
United  States  House  of  Representatives  for  six  terms.  Born 
in  Swansonville,  Pittsylvania  County,  Virginia. 


VERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRA 
Los  Angeles 
T"»is  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamper 


TE  iSY 

L  FORNIA 

-.  ■. 


3  1158  01245  6421 


AA    000  697  230 


•v., 


